DUKE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
DURHAM,  N.  C. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/naturalmethodrea31mcma 


A  THIRD  READEE 


THE  NATURAL  METHOD 
READERS 


A  THIRD  READER 

BY 

HANNAH  T.  McMANUS 

Principal,  Public  Schools,  The  City  of  New  Yobk 
AND 

JOHN  H.  HAAREN 

Associate  Superintendent  of  Schools,  The  City  of  New  Yobk 
ILLUSTRATED  BY  BLANCHE  FISHER  WRIGHT 


133940 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  BOSTON 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER  S  SOI^S 


PREFACE  l^'l^'l"^ 

if?  ;3 

The  Third  Reader  follows  logically  the  previous 
books  of  the  Natural  Method  series,  but  it  may 
be  used  to  advantage  with  any  other  well-graded 
earlier  books.  The  selections  do  not  differ  greatly 
in  character  from  those  in  the  Second  Reader,  but 
they  make  a  broader  appeal,  and  the  ethical  element 
is  emphasized  somewhat  more  strongly.  The  poem, 
the  myth,  the  fairy  and  folk  tale,  the  historical  legend, 
the  nature  story,  the  hero  story,  as  well  as  the  tale 
of  every-day  experience,  are  all  represented.  An  at- 
tempt has  been  made  to  provide  material  that  will 
appeal  to  the  many  interests  of  the  child,  and  also 
stimulate  his  imagination,  instil  proper  ideals  of  con- 
duct, and  cultivate  literary  taste. 

The  vocabulary  of  the  Third  Reader  is  neces- 
sarily larger  and  more  varied  than  that  of  the  Secoxd 
Reader.  Long  and  complex  sentences  are  used  more 
freely,  and  the  paragraphs  are  also  ampler  than  in  the 
earlier  books.  The  difficulties  presented  by  vocabu- 
lary, sentence,  and  paragraph  structure  are  not,  how- 
ever, beyond  the  abilities  of  the  normal  third-grade 
child. 

It  is  expected  that  by  the  time  the  child  takes  up 
the  Third  Reader  he  will  have  a  reasonable  mas- 
tery of  phonics.  This  will  enable  him  to  get  from  the 
symbols  the  sound  of  the  entire  word  he  meets  in  his 

V 


133940 


reading  unless  it  presents  some  unusual  difficulty. 
Phonics  will  also  assist  him,  while  reading  aloud,  to 
pronounce  his  words  clearly.  Clearness  of  pronuncia- 
tion is  the  result  of  good  articulation,  and  intelligent 
expression  ought  to  follow  from  the  interest  or  inten- 
sity with  which  the  thought  has  been  comprehended. 

But  oral  reading,  which  is  concerned  with  articula- 
tion and  expression,  is  only  part  of  the  reading  process. 
As  the  child  advances  in  age,  more  and  more  of  his 
reading  is  done  silently,  and  it  begins  to  take  its  place 
as  an  instrument  for  acquiring  information.  The  for- 
mation of  a  taste  for  reading  is  the  fundamental  aim, 
and  this  taste  finds  the  field  for  its  exercise  chiefly  in 
silent  reading.  Silent  reading,  however,  should  not  do 
away  with  the  necessity  for  oral  reading,  but  should 
supplement  and  accompany  it. 

The  authors  believe  that  the  teacher  will  find  the 
Third  Reader  to  be  not  only  an  efficient  tool  for 
the  teaching  of  reading,  but  an  influence  for  culture 
in  the  life  of  the  child. 

Thanks  are  due  The  Youth's  Companion  for  per- 
mission to  use  ''Taking  Care  of  Skip,"  by  Clayton  H. 
Ernst,  and  "Three  Orphans,"  by  Edward  W.  Frentz; 
the  Houghton  Miffiin  Company  for  permission  to  use 
"Kriss  Kringle,"  by  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich,  ''The 
Song  of  the  Thrush,"  by  Lucy  Larcom,  and  ''Spring," 
by  Ceha  Thaxter;  and  the  author  and  Silver,  Burdett 
&  Co.  for  permission  to  use  "Dandelion,"  by  Kate 
Louise  Brown. 

vi 


CONTENTS 


PACK 

Good-bye  to  Summer   William  Allingham  .    .  1 

Why  the  Fox  Has  a  White  Tip  to 

His  Tail   Old  Folk  Tale     ...  3 

The  Crested  Hen   Swedish  Folk  Tale   .    .  7 

Long  Ears   Old  Fable   11 

October's  Party   George  Cooper    ...  15 

The  Honest  Woodman     ....  Old  Fable  Dramatized  .  17 

Coming  and  Going   Henry  Ward  Beecher 

(adapted)     ...  23 

Ama  and  Susa                             .  Japanese  Fairy  Tale     .  28 

Down  by  the  Pool   R.  H.  Bowles  ....  32 

Foreign  Lands   Robert  Louis  Stevenson  38 

The  Boy  Who  Walked  to  China    .  Mediaeval  Legend    .    .  40 

A  Noble  Chief   Legendary  History  .    .  44 

Peach  Prince  and  the  Giant      .    .  Japanese  Fairy  Tale     .  48 

Jack  Frost   Gabriel  Setoun    ...  58 

BeUing  the  Cat   Old  Fable  Dramatized  .  60 

Taking  Care  of  Skip   Clayton  H,  Ernst 

(adapted)     ...  68 

Orpheus,  the  Great  Musician    .    .  Greek  Myth    .    .    .    .  78 

vii 


Henry  W^adsworth 

PAGB 

How  the  Ducks  Got  Their  Fine 

i^oiigieiiow    .     .  . 

Frank  B.  Linderman 

(adapted)  .    .    .  . 

86 

How  Thor's  Hammer  Was  Found 

Norse  Myth    .    .    .  . 

93 

Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich 

106 

The  Ants'  Monday  Dinner   .    .  . 

Helen  Hunt  (adapted) 

107 

The  Cave  of  Gold  

East  Indian  Folk  Tale  . 

117 

Gold  and  Love  for  Dearie     .    .  . 

Eugene  Field  .    .    .  . 

124 

The  Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill  .  . 

Norse  Fairy  Tale     .  . 

127 

The  Night  Wind  

Eugene  Field  .    .    .  . 

148 

A  Great  and  Wise  King  .... 

The  Bible  

152 

The  Fox  and  the  Wolf  .... 

Old  Folk  Tale     .    .  . 

159 

Frank  French      .    .  . 

169 

The  Three  Feathers  

Grimm  Brothers  .    .  . 

171 

Snowdrop  and  the  Seven  Dwarfs  . 

Dramatized  from 
Grimm  Brothers 

by  R,.  H.  Bowles  . 

181 

Washington's  Birthday  .... 

Margaret  E.  bangster  . 

204 

206 

Norwegian  Fairy  Tale  . 

213 

Lines  Written  in  March  .... 

William  Wordsworth  . 

227 

Our  Friend  Mr.  Muskrat      .    .  . 

R.  H.  Bowles  .    .    .  . 

229 

The  Song  of  the  Thrush  .... 

Lucy  Larcom  .... 

235 

Edward  W.  Frentz 

(adapted)      .  . 

237 

The  Apples  of  Youth  

Norse  Myth    .    .    .  . 

245 

viii 


PAGE 


Spring  Celia  Thaxter      .    .    .  255 

How  Andy  Helped  to  Capture  the 

Redcoats  John  P.  Kennedy 

(adapted)      ...  257 

The  Flag  W.  B.  Xesbit  ....  267 

How  Temple  Saved  Her  Horse  269 

Dandelion   Kate  Louise  Brown      .  276 

King  Grisly-Beard  Grimm  Brothers  .    .    .  278 

A  Proud  King  Mediaeval  Legend    .  .290 

Hiawatha's  Childhood      ....    Henry  ^Yadsworth 

Longfellow   .    .    .  297 

Why    the    Chipmunk's    Back  Is 

Striped  Frank  B.  Linderman    .  299 

(adapted) 


ix 


4  THIRD  EEADER 


If  it  were  not  for  fairies,  this  world  would  be  drear  ; 
(I'm  sure  there  are  fairies, — heigh-ho  !) 
The  grass  would  not  tangle, 
The  bluebells  would  jangle, 
The  days  would  be  stupid  and  queer,  you  know. 
And  everything  dull  if  the  fairies  should  go, 
(I'm  sure  they  are  true, — heigh-ho  !) 

Mary  Mapes  Dodge. 


GOOD-BYE  TO  SODIER 

Good-bye.  good-bye  to  summer! 

For  smnmer's  nearly  done; 

The  garden  smiling  faintly, 

Cool  breezes  in  the  sun; 
1 


Our  thrushes  now  are  silent, 
Our  swallows  flown  away, — 

But  Robin's  here  in  coat  of  brown ^ 
With  ruddy  breastknot  gay. 

Bright  yellow,  red,  and  orange, 

The  leaves  came  down  in  hosts; 
The  trees  are  Indian  princes, 

But  soon  they'll  turn  to  ghosts; 
The  scanty  pears  and  apples 

Hang  russet  on  the  bough; 
It's  autumn,  autumn,  autumn  late, 

'Twill  soon  be  winter  now. 

William  Allingham. 


WHY  THE  FOX  HAS  A  WHITE  TIP  TO 
HIS  TAIL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  woman  who 
went  out  to  hire  a  herdsman.  Presently  she 
met  a  bear. 

''Whither  away,  Goody?"  asked  Bruin. 

''Oh,  I'm  going  off  to  find  a  herdsman/' 
answered  the  woman. 

''Why  will  not  I  do?"  asked  Bruin. 

"Why  not,  indeed?"  said  the  woman,  "if 
you  can  only  call  the  flock.  Let  me  hear 
you  try." 

Ow  !  oiv!''  growled  the  bear. 

"No,  no!  that  will  neyer  do  in  the  world!" 
said  the  woman,  and  off  she  went  on  her  way. 

3 


When  she  had  gone  a  httle  farther^  she 
met  a  wolf. 

''Whither  away,  Goody?"  asked  the  wolf. 

''Oh/'  said  she,  "I'm  off  to  find  a  herdsman." 

"Why  will  not  I  do?"  asked  the  wolf 

"Why  not,  indeed?"  said  the  woman,  "if 
you  can  only  call  the  flock.  Let  me  hear 
you  try." 

"?7A,  uh!''  howled  the  wolf 

"No,  no!  that  will  never  do  in  the  world!" 
said  the  woman. 

When  she  had  gone  a  little  farther,  she 
met  a  fox. 

"Whither  away.  Goody?"  asked  the  fox. 

"I'm  off  to  find  a  herdsman,"  said  the 
woman. 

"Why  will  not  I  do?"  asked  the  fox. 

"Why  not,  indeed?"  said  she,  "if  you  can 
only  call  the  flock.    Let  me  hear  you  try." 

Dil-dal-liolom ! sang  out  the  fox,  in  a  fine, 
clear  voice. 

4 


'^Yes,  I'll  hire  you  for  my  herdsman,"  said 
the  woman:  and  so  she  set  the  fox  to  Tratch 
her  flock. 

The  first  day  the  fox  was  herdsman  he  ate 
up  all  the  woman's  goats.  The  next  day  he 
made  an  end  of  all  her  sheep.  And  the  third 
day  he  ate  up  all  her  cows. 

When    he    came    home   at   evenins:,  the 

5 


woman  asked  what  he  had  done  with  all  her 
flock. 

"  Oh/'  said  the  fox,  their  heads  are  in  the 
stream,  and  their  bodies  in  the  wood." 

Now,  the  Goody  was  churning  when  the 
fox  said  this.  Soon  afterwards  she  thought 
she  might  as  well  step  out  and  see  after  the 
flock.  But  while  she  was  away  the  fox  crept 
into  the  churn  and  ate  up  the  cream. 

When  the  Goody  came  back  and  saw  that, 

she  fell  into  a  great  rage.    She  snatched  up 

the  little  morsel  of  cream  that  was  left,  and 

threw  it  at  the  fox  as  he  ran  off.    A  little  dab 

of  it  stuck  to  the  end  of  his  tail.    That  is  why 

the  fox  has  a  white  tip  to  his  brush. 

6 


THE  CRESTED  HEN 

The  crested  hen  was  very  silly,  and  gave 
Cock-a-Doodle  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 

"Keep  with  the  other  hens/'  he  would  say 
to  her,  when  she  strayed  away  from  the  others ; 
''there  is  safety  in  numbers/' 

But  the  crested  hen  paid  no  attention  to 
Cock-a-Doodle's  advice.  She  had  a  tuft  of 
feathers  on  her  head  that  she  was  very  proud 
of,  and  she  wished  everyone  to  see  it.  As 
she  was  not  very  big,  she  was  afraid  that  she 
wouldn't  be  clearly  seen,  if  she  went  with  the 
crowd. 

Around  the  poultry-yard  was  a  high  fence. 
Every  day  the  crested  hen  would  look  at  that 
fence,  and  long  to  fly  over  it  to  the  other  side. 
She  knew  that  there  was  a  big  field  beyond 
the  fence.  Once  she  had  flown  up  into  the 
apple-tree,  and  looked  away  off  into  the  country. 

7 


''Ah!  If  I  only  dared  to  flv  over  the 
fence  into  the  big  field !  "  she  said  to  herself. 
''People  couldn't  help  seeing  me  then,  all  by 
myself." 

At  last  one  day  she  felt  very  brave  and 
decided  to  fly  over.  She  set  her  wings^  gave 
a  strong  push  upon  the  ground  with  her  feet 
to  start  herself,  and  up  she  went  to  the  top  of 
the  wall.  There  she  rested  a  moment,  looking 
down  upon  the  plain,  simple  people  she  had 
left  below. 

8 


Cock-a-Doodle  was  very  much  surprised. 
He  looked  up  at  her.  first  out  of  one  eye, 
and  then  out  of  the  other.  Then  he  rose  on 
tiptoe,  flapped  his  wings  loudly,  and  called  at 
the  top  of  his  voice :  _  ' 

"  Come  down  this  instant,  do-oo-oo !  " 

But  the  crested  hen  flew  down  on  the 
other  side. 

''I  have  been  too  kind  to  her,"  said  Cock- 
a-Doodle.  Her  beauty  has  been  her  mis- 
fortune." And  with  that  he  flew  to  the  top 
of  the  wall,  to  see  that  no  harm  came  to  her. 

"Squawk!  Squawk!  Squawk!"  Something 
dreadful  must  already  have  happened.  Look- 
ing in  the  direction  of  the  noise,  Cock-a-Doodle 
saw  that  the  neighbor's  dog  had  caught  the 
crested  hen.  Luckily,  the  dog  was  only  a 
puppy,  and  glad  of  a  new  plaything.  AYhen 
he  had  pulled  the  beautiful  tuft  from  the 
top  of  her  head  and  some  feathers  from  her 
breast  besides,  he  left  the  foolish  hen  lying 

9 


on  the  ground.  Then  he  ran  off  in  search  of 
other  sport. 

Cock-a-Doodle  was  greatly  excited.  He  was 
afraid  the  crested  hen  was  dead.  Cock-a- 
doodle-doo!"  he  called  with  all  his  might.  He 
made  such  a  noise  that  the  farmer  came  run- 
ning up.  Seeing  that  something  was  wrong 
with  his  flock  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall^ 
the  farmer  quickly  brought  a  ladder,  and  went 
up  to  look  over.  There  was  the  poor  crested 
hen  lying  on  the  grass. 

He  jumped  down  and  picked  her  up.  Then, 
going  out  by  the  gateway,  he  brought  her  back 
to  her  home  and  family. 

The  crested  hen  had  learned  her  lesson. 
Some  of  her  feathers  grew  again,  but  the  beau- 
tiful topknot  never  came  back  to  her  pretty 
head.  Without  it  she  became  as  meek  as  any 
of  the  other  hens,  and  never  again  gave  Cock- 
a-Doodle  the  least  trouble. 


10 


J  

LONG  EARS 

There  was  once  a  little  gray  donkey  named 
Long  Ears.  He  was  a  pretty  little  donkey, 
but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  he  was  very  lazy. 
He  worked  only  when  he  had  to,  and  then 
very  unwillingly.  It  was  very  mean  of  him  to 
behave  so,  because  he  had  a  kind  master. 

Now  Long  Ears'  master  had  a  little  dog 

named  Spot.    Spot  was  a  great  favorite  with 

the  whole  family.    He  was   allowed  to  run 

about  the  garden  and  the  house,  and  when 

his  master  came  home,  he  would  jump  about 

him,  and  bark  and  lick  his  hands.  Sometimes 

he  would  even  jump  into  his  mistress's  lap, 

11 


as  she  sat  sewing  or  reading  by  the  fire  in 
the  evening. 

Poor  Long  Ears !  When  he  saw  what  a 
favorite  Spot  was^  he  began  to  get  jealous. 

"  Why  should  Spot  lead  such  an  easy  life  ?  " 
he  said  to  himself  He  does  nothing  to  earn 
his  living.  I  work  hard  all  day,  but  he  spends 
his  time  frisking  about  and  barking  or  lying 
asleep  in  the  sun." 

So  he  would  talk  and  complain  every  day, 
until  he  really  began  to  believe  that  he  was 
ill-treated. 

At  last,  one  day  Long  Ears  had  what  he 
thought  was  a  bright  idea. 

Perhaps  if  I  should  frisk  about  and  make 
a  lot  of  noise,  as  Spot  does,  they  would  pet 
me  as  they  do  him,''  he  said  to  himself 

So  he  came  out  of  the  stable,  and  began 
to  jump  about  and  switch  his  tail  and  hee- 
haw in  the  wildest  way. 

The  family  heard  the  noise,  and  ran  to  the 

12 


windows  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  When 
they  saw  Long  Ears'  queer  behavior,  thev 
were  much  amused  and  laughed  heartily. 

Long  Ears  felt  very  much  pleased.  So 
far.  so  good."  said  he.  '"'Xow  for  something 
still  more  exciting.'' 

The  front  door  of  the  house  happened  to 
be  open,  so  up  the  steps  clattered  Long  Ears 
and  on  into  the  house. 

Oh !  Oh  I  What  confusion  I  Long  Ears' 
mistress  was  nearly  frightened  to  death.  The 

13 


children  screamed  with  terror.  Long  Ears  had 
gone  through  the  front  hall  into  the  living- 
room.  Now  he  began  to  jump  about^  swing- 
ing his  long  tail  and  hee-hawing  as  he  had 
done  out  in  the  yard. 

Eun  for  the  stable-boy ! cried  Long  Ears' 
mistress.    ''The  donkey  has  surely  gone  crazy!'' 

Crash!  The  donkey's  long  tail  knocked 
the  big  lamp  off  the  table.  What  would  have 
happened  next  nobody  can  tell.  But  just  at 
this  moment  Bob,  the  stable-boy,  came  run- 
ning in.  He  gave  Long  Ears  such  a  blow  with 
the  whip  that  the  poor  foolish  donkey  was 
glad  enough  to  run  out  into  the  yard  again 
as  fast  as  he  could  go.  A  few  minutes  later, 
Bob  had  fastened  him  safely  in  the  stable. 

Poor  foolish  Long  Ears !  He  was  never  al- 
lowed to  go  out  into  the  yard  by  himself  again. 

He  never  quite  understood  why  he  could 
not  be  treated  like  a  lap  dog,  if  he  behaved 
like  one. 

14 


OCTOBER'S  PARTY 

October  gave  a  party^ 

The  leaves  by  hundreds  came; 
The  Chestnuts,  Oaks,  and  Maples^ 

And  leaves  of  every  name. 

The  sunshine  spread  a  carpet 
And  everything  was  grand ; 

Miss  Weather  led  the  dancing, 
Professor  Wind  the  band. 

The  Chestnuts  came  in  yellow, 
The  Oaks  in  crimson  dressed ; 

The  lovely  Misses  Maple 

In  scarlet  looked  their  best. 

All  balanced  to  their  partners 
And  gayly  fluttered  by ; 

The  sight  was  like  a  rainbow 
New-fallen  from  the  sky. 

15 


Then  in  the  shady  hollows 

At  hide  and  seek  they  played; 

The  party  closed  at  sundown, 
And  everybody  stayed. 

Professor  Wind  played  louder; 

They  flew  along  the  ground ; 
And  then  the  party  ended 

As  they  balanced  all  around. 

George  Cooper. 


THE  HOXEST  WOODMAN 

First  Woodman        Second  Woodman 
Stranger 

Scene  I 

BY  THE  SIDE  OF  A  STREAjVI 

First  Woodman :  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  ?  I  have 
dropped  my  ax  into  the  stream^  and  I 
cannot  get  it  again.  Oh,  dear !  Oh,  dear  I 
What  an  unlucky  day  this  is  for  me! 
(A  stranger  comes  in) 


Stranger ;  Well,  sir,  what  is  the  matter  ?  Why 
do  you  sit  here  by  the  side  of  the  stream, 
moaning,  and  wringing  your  hands  ? 

First  Woodman :  I  have  lost  my  ax  in  the 
stream,  and  I  have  no  money  with  which 
to  buy  another.  As  I  am  a  woodcutter^ 
without  my  ax  I  cannot  earn  money  for 
my  wife  and  little  children. 

Stranger :  That  is  a  sad  state  of  things,  indeed. 
But  perhaps  I  can  help  you.  Wait  a 
moment.  {Plunges  into  the  stream^  and  a 
moment  later  eomes  out  again  with  an  ax  of 
gold)  Here,  my  good  man,  is  this  your 
ax? 

First  Woodman:  {Takes  ax  and  looks  it  over) 
Oh,  no,  sir !  This  ax  is  of  gold.  Mine 
was  only  a  common  ax  of  steel. 

Stranger :  I  will  try  again.  {Plunges  into  the 
stream^  and  soon  eomes  out  again  with  an  ax 
of  silver)  Here  is  another  ax.  Perhaps 
this  is  yours  ? 


First  Woodman:  {Takes  ax  and  looks  it  over) 
Xo.  this  ax  is  of  silver.    It  isn't  mine. 

Stranger  :  Well,  I  will  try  once  more.  {Plunges 
into  the  stream^  and  soon  comes  out  again  icith 
a  common  steel  ax)    Is  this  the  ax  you  lost  ? 

First  Woodman  :  Oh,  yes,  yes !  That  is  my  ax ! 
Thank  you,  sir !    I  shall  be  all  right  now. 

Stranger:  You  are  an  honest  man  and,  as  a 
reward  for  your  honesty,  keep  these  axes 


of  gold  and  silver.  They  are  worth  a 
fortune. 

First  Woodman :  Oh,  thank  you,  sir ;  thank  you, 
sir!  I  will  go  home  and  tell  my  wife 
and  children  about  my  wonderful  good 
fortune. 

Scene  II 

SECOND  WOODMAN  IS  SITTING  BY  THE  SIDE  OF  THE 

STREAM 

Second  Woodman :  There,  now !  I  have  thrown 
my  ax  into  the  stream,  and  I  will  wait 
and  see  what  happens.  If  I  only  have 
as  good  luck  as  my  neighbor  had,  I  shall 
get  axes  of  gold  and  of  silver  that  will 
be  worth  a  fortune.  Then  I  shall  not 
have  to  work  any  more,  but  can  spend 
the  rest  of  my  life  in  having  a  good  time. 
But  I  must  make  believe  I  am  in  great 
sorrow.  Oh,  dear !  Oh,  dear  !  What  shall 
I  do  !    ( Wr  ings  his  hands.    Stranger  comes  in) 

20 


iStvanger :  Well,  sir,  what  is  the  matter  ?  Why 
do  you  sit  here  by  the  side  of  the  stream, 
moaning,  and  wringing  your  hands  ? 

Second  Woodman :  Ah,  kind  sir,  I  have  lost  my 
ax  in  the  stream.  If  I  do  not  get  it 
back  I  shall  be  ruined,  for  I  have  no 
money  with  which  to  buy  another. 

Stranger :  Oh,  is  that  all  ?  Perhaps  I  can  help 
you.  {Plunges  into  the  stream  and  comes  up 
with  an  ax  of  gold.)    Here,  is  this  your  ax? 

Second  Woodman:  {Reaching  out  his  hand  eagerly 
for  the  ax)    Oh,  yes,  yes !    That  is  it. 

Stranger :  No,  it  is  not.  You  are  a  dishonest 
fellow.  You  shall  not  have  this  ax  of 
gold  because  you  do  not  deserve  it.  Nor 
will  I  get  your  own  ax,  which  you  threw 
into  the  stream.  You  have  lost  all  be- 
cause you  are  untruthful  and  dishonest. 
Go  home,  and  for  the  future  always  tell 
the  truth,  and  do  not  try  to  obtain  un- 
fairly what  does  not  belong  to  you. 


COMING  AND  GOING 

Once  there  came  to  our  fields  a  pair  of 
birds  that  had  never  built  a  nest  or  seen  a 
winter.  The  fields  were  full  of  flowers,  the 
grass  was  growing  tall,  and  the  bees  were 
humming  everywhere. 

Then  one  of  the  birds  began  singing.  "  Who 
told  you  to  sing  ?  "  asked  the  other  bird.  And 
he  answered,  The  flowers  told  me,  and  the 
bees  told  me,  and  the  winds  and  leaves  told 
me,  and  you  told  me  to  sing." 

Then  his  mate  asked,  "When  did  I  tell 
you  to  sing  ?  "  And  he  said,  "  Every  time  you 
brought  in  tender  grass  for  the  nest,  and  every 
time  your  soft  wings  fluttered  off  again  for 
hair  and  feathers  to  line  the  nest." 

23 


Then  his  mate  said,  What  are  you  sing- 
ing about  ?  "  And  he  answered,  I  am  sing- 
ing about  everything  and  nothing.  It  is  be- 
cause I  am  so  happy  that  I  sing." 

By  and  by  five  httle  speckled  eggs  were  in 
the  nest,  and  his  mate  said,  ''Is  there  any- 
thing in  all  the  world  as  pretty  as  my  eggs  ?  " 
Then  they  both  looked  down  on  some  people 
that  were  passing  by,  and  pitied  them  because 
they  were  not  birds. 

One  day,  a  week  or  two  later,  when  the 
father-bird  came  home,  the  mother-bird  said, 
Oh,  what  do  you  think  has  happened.  One 
of  my  eggs  has  been  peeping  and  moving ! " 

Pretty  soon  another  egg  moved  under  her 
feathers,  and  then  another  and  another,  till 
five  little  birds  were  hatched  !  Now  the  father- 
bird  sang  louder  and  louder  than  ever.  The 
mother-bird,  too,  wanted  to  sing,  but  she  had 
no  time,  and  so  she  turned  her  song  into  work. 

So  hungry  were  these  little  birds  that  both 

24 


parents  ^ere  kept  very  busy  feeding  them. 
Back  and  forth  they  flew  with  food  for  the 
httle  ones. 

The  moment  the  httle  birds  heard  the 
wings  of  the  old  birds  fluttering  among  the 
leaves,  five  yellow  mouths  flew  open  wide,  so 
wide  that  nothing  else  could  be  seen ! 

Can  anybody  be  happier  ?  said  the  father- 
bird  to  the  mother-bird.  AYe  will  live  in  this 
tree  always,  for  there  is  no  sorrow  here.  It 
is  a  tree  that  always  bears  joy." 

25 


Soon  the  little  birds  were  big  enough  to 
fly,  and  great  was  their  parents'  joy  to  see 
them  leave  the  nest  and  sit  crumpled  up 
on  the  branches. 

Then  there  was  a  great  time !  The  two 
old  birds  talking  and  chatting  to  make  the 
young  ones  go  alone!  In  a  short  time  the 
young  ones  had  learned  to  use  their  wings, 
and  they  flew  away  and  away,  and  found 
their  own  food,  and  sang  their  own  songs  of 

joy. 

Then  the  old  birds  sat  silent  and  looked  at 
each  other,  until  the  mother-bird  said,  ''Whj^ 
don't  you  sing  ? "  And  her  mate  answered^ 
''I  can't  sing — I  can  only  think  and  think." 

"What  are  you  thinking  of?" 

'^I  am  thinking  how  everything  changes. 
The  leaves  are  falling  from  this  tree,  and  soon 
there  will  be  no  roof  over  our  heads.  The 
flowers  are  all  going.  Last  night  there  Avas 
a  frost.    Almost  all  the  birds  are  flown  away. 

26 


Something  calls  me,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  should 
like  to  fly  far  away." 

"  Let  us  fly  away  together ! 

Then  they  rose  silently,  and,  lifting  them- 
selves far  up  in  the  air,  they  looked  to  the 
north.  Far  away  they  saw  the  snow  coming. 
They  looked  to  the  south.  There  they  saw 
flowers  and  green  leaves.  All  day  they  flew, 
and  all  night  they  flew  and  flew.  At  last  they 
came  to  a  land  where  there  was  no  winter, 
where  flowers  always  bloom,  and  birds  always 


smg. 


Henry  Ward  Beecher  (adapted). 


AMA  AND  SUSA 

Ama  is  the  fairy  of  the  sun,  and  her  brother 
Susa  is  the  fairy  of  the  sea.  They  are  very 
fond  of  each  other,  and  play  all  sorts  of  games 
together ;  but  sometimes  they  disagree. 

You  see,  the  truth  is  that  Susa  often  plays 
very  roughly.  Sometimes  he  tosses  his  great 
billows  about,  and  even  throws  great  ships 
upon  the  rocks,  where  they  are  wrecked. 

Once  he  puffed  such  great  clouds  up  into 
Ama's  face,  and  made  his  winds  roar  so  loud, 
that  she  ran  away  in  fright  and  hid  in  a  deep, 
dark  cave. 

28 


Then  her  bright  hght  could  be  seen  no 
more,  and  the  world  became  very  dark.  For 
the  moon.  too.  could  shine  no  longer  without 
the  sun  fairy  to  brighten  her  face,  and  the 
stars  were  too  small  and  too  far  awav  to  give 
much  light. 


Everybody  missed  the  sunlight,  even  the 
fishes  in  the  sea ;   so  at  last  Susa  began  to 

29 


be  sorry  that  he  had  frightened  his  sister. 

''I'm  afraid  I  was  really  too  rough  with  little 

Ama,"  said  he.  ''I  will  call  her  back  again.^' 
So  Susa  called  to  Ama,  but  she  did  not 
>  answer.  He  called  and  called,  but  still  she 
^did  not  answer.    The  little  sun  fairy  still  hid 

away  in  her  deep  cave,  and  all  the  world  was 

dark. 

At  last  a  bright  thought  struck  Susa.  He 
made  a  very  high  tide,  and  sent  his  waters 
lapping  softly  against  the  mouth  of  the  cave 
where  Ama  was  hidden.  The  little  waves 
came  gently  rippling  and  murmuring  against 
the  rocks,  just  as  if  they  were  kissing  them. 

Ama  heard  the  sound  and  was  pleased. 
Yery  quietly  she  stole  to  the  mouth  of  the 
cave  and  looked  out.  Susa  was  waiting  for 
her,  hiding  behind  the  rocks. 

When  she  looked  out  of  the  cave,  Susa 
reached  out  with  his  long  arm  and  held  a 
mirror  before  her  face.    At  the  same  time  he 

30 


said  in  a  soft  pleading  voice.  I  am  the  moon 
fairy,  I  cannot  shine  without  the  hght  from 
your  sweet  face.  Please  come  out  and  shine 
again." 

Then  Ama,  seeing  her  own  bright  face  in 
the  mirror,  thought  it  was  the  moon  fairy  who 
was  coaxing  her.  So  she  ventured  out  of  the 
cave  a  little  way. 

Then  Susa  threw  his  strong  arms  about  her 
and  whisked  her  off  to  the  sun.  and  there  she 
has  remained  to  this  very  day.  There  she 
shines  and  shines,  and  makes  the  whole  world 
happy  with  her  light. 


31 


DOWN  BY  THE  POOL 

The  fish  were  not  biting  that  morning.  We 
had  pushed  our  way  carefully  through  the 
lily-pads  to  the  best  holes,  and  we  had  noth- 
ing to  show  for  our  trouble  but  three  small 
trout. 

They  are  beauties,  even  if  they  are  small/' 
said  Donald,  as  he  held  one  of  them  up  for 
me  to  look  at.  ''See  what  pretty  spots  they 
have." 

"Yes,"  said  I,  from  my  seat  in  the  stern 
of  the  canoe.  "They  look  like  bits  of  the 
rainbow,  don't  they?" 

The  sun  was  getting  high,  and  it  was  warm. 
Birds  sang  and  flitted  about  in  the  alders 
along  the  shore.  Beautiful  dragon-flies  darted 
about  over  the  water  like  little  aeroplanes. 
One  big,  handsome  dragon-fly  kept  dipping 
her  tail  in  the  water  every  few  seconds. 

32 


Donald;''  said  I,  do  you  see  that  big 
dragon-fly  dipping  into  the  water  every  now 
and  then  ? " 

''Yes,  yes/''  said  he.  after  looking  a  moment 
"  The  bis:  black  and  a^old  fellow  that  iust 
passed  ?  " 

"Yes,  that's  the  one  I  meant.  Do  you  know 
what  she  is  doing  ?  " 

''Whv.  no!    Taking  a  drink 

33 


I  laughed.  "Not  at  all!  It  is  a  mother 
dragon-fly,  and  she  is  laying  her  eggs." 

"Laying  her  eggs!"  said  Donald.  "What 
a  funny  way  to  do  it!  Then  she  can't  sit  on 
them  as  a  hen  does,  can  she  ?  " 

"No,  indeed;  she  doesn't  have  to  do  that."i 

"  But  won't  they  float  away  ?  " 

"Yes,  that  is  just  what  they  will  do.  If 
we  look  carefully  I  think  we  can  find  some." 

In  a  minute  or  two  I  saw  some  of  the 
dragon-fly's  eggs  floating  slowly  towards  some 
reeds  near  our  canoe,  and  pointed  them  out 
to  Donald. 

"  Now,"  said  I,  "  those  eggs  will  hatch  out  in 
a  few  hours  into  little  insects  called  nymphs. 
These  are  baby  dragon-flies,  only  they  don't 
look  like  dragon-flies  at  all,  but  like  little  j 
wriggly  worms.  After  they  are  hatched  they 
go  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  pool." 

"  Doesn't  the  mother  dragon-fly  take  care 
of  them  ?  "  asked  Donald. 

34 


''Xo,  they  have  to  look  after  themseh'es.'' 
AVhv.  hoTT  queer !  I  should  thmk  some 
of  them  would  get  eaten  up." 

"  I'm  afraid  they  do.  but  there  are  so  many 
of  them  that  some  are  always  left.  Well, 
the  baby  dragon-flies  wriggle  and  crawl  about 
at  the  bottom,  eating  other  little  insects  and 
getting  bigger.  They  stay  down  in  the  mud 
all  winter,  and  when  spring  comes  they  come 
up  into  the  sunshine  again.  They  climb  up 
on  a  reed  till  they  are  above  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  there  they  stay.  Then  the  most 
wonderful  thing  happens  I  After  a  while  their 
shells  split  up  the  back,  and  out  they  come, 
full-grown  dragon-flies.  Let  us  see  if  we  can 
find  some." 

After  a  minute  or  two  Donald  called  out, 
I  have  found  one  !  " 

But  Avhen  I  looked  at  the  reed  he  was  point- 
ino:  at.  I  found  that  what  he  saw  was  onlv  an 
empty  shell. 

35 


No/'  said  "  that  is  only  the  empty  shell. 
The  dragon-fly  has  gone." 

After  looking  a  little  farther,  we  found  a 
reed  with  an  empty  shell  on  it,  and,  a  little 
above,  a  dragon-fly  that  had  just  left  it.  The- 
dragon-fly  was  wet,  and  its  wings  were  all  soft 
and  folded  up. 

If  we  wait  awhile,"  said  I,  he  will  get 
his  wings  dry  and  fly  away." 

So  we  waited.  It  was  pleasant  sitting  there 
in  the  canoe.  Big,  fleecy  clouds  drifted  across 
the  sky  overhead.  Now  and  then  a  flsh  would 
jump  for  a  fly,  and  little  ripples  would  go 
spreading  out  over  the  water  from  the  spot 
where  he  went  down.  I  had  almost  fallen  into 
a  doze,  when  suddenly  Donald  called,  Oh.^ 
father,  look  at  him  now !  " 

I  looked.  The  warm  sun  had  dried  the  dragon- 
fly^s  wings.  There  he  stood  on  the  reed,  his 
beautiful  body  of  black  and  gold  and  his  long, 
lace-like  wings  shimmering  in  the  sunlight. 

36 


He  is  about  ready  to  go  now,"  said  I.  As 
I  spoke,  Donald  gave  the  reed  a  poke  with 
his  paddle,  and,  swish !  away  went  the  dragon- 
fly down  the  stream. 

''How  fine  it  must  be  to  be  your  own 
'aeroplane!"  said  Donald. 

"Yes,"  said  I,  ''and  not  to  have  to  worry 


37 


FOEEIGN  LANDS 
Up  into  the  cherry-tree 
Who  should  cHmb  but  httle  me? 
I  held  the  trunk  with  both  my  hands 
And  looked  abroad  on  foreign  lands. 

I  saw  the  next-door  garden  lie^ 
Adorned  with  flowers,  before  my  eye^ 
And  many  pleasant  places  more 
That  I  had  never  seen  before. 

38 


I  saw  the  dimpling  river  pass 
And  be  the  sky's  blue  looking-glass ; 
The  dusty  roads  go  up  and  down 
With  people  tramping  in  to  town. 

If  I  could  find  a  higher  tree 
Farther  and  farther  I  should  see, 
To  where  the  grown-up  river  slips 
Into  the  sea  among  the  ships. 

To  where  the  roads  on  either  hand 
Lead  onward  into  fairyland. 
Where  all  the  children  dine  at  five, 
And  all  the  playthings  come  alive. 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


39 


THE  BOY  WHO  WALKED  TO  CHINA 

Marco  Polo  lived  in  Yenice,  a  city  in  far- 
away Italy.  When  he  was  only  a  small  boy 
of  fifteen,  he  set  out  on  foot  with  his  father 
to  find  his  way  to  China.  They  had  to  go 
over  mountains,  and  across  terrible  deserts, 
through  hot,  burning  lands,  and  places  where 
it  was  very  cold.  Poor  Marco  was  made  quite 
ill  by  the  hardships,  but  he  got  better  and 
kept  bravely  on. 

At  last  they  came  to  China,  where  a  great 
king,  called  Kublai  Khan,  ruled  the  country. 
There  they  decided  to  stay  for  a  time.  Marco 
grew  up  at  the  court,  and  became  a  great 
favorite  of  the  king.  He  learned  to  speak 
several  languages,  and  was  so  clever  that  the 
king  sent  him  as  his  ambassador  to  Cochin 
China,  to  India,  and  to  other  lands. 

Each  time  he  came  back,  Marco  was  able 

40 


to  tell  the  king  not  only  the  answer  to  the 
message  he  had  carried,  but  all  about  the 
countries  themselves;  how  the  people  lived, 
what  their  trades  were,  and  what  big  cities 
and  rivers  and  mountains  he  had  seen.  The 
king  had  never  had  so  clever  an  ambassador 
as  this  before,  and  he  heaped  riches  on 
Marco  and  his  father. 

41 


Now,  when  Marco  and  his  father  had  been 
away  for  twenty-three  years,  they  wanted  to 
go  back  to  Venice.  The  king  was  very  sorry 
r  to  let  them  go,  but  at  last  he  consented,  and 
thoy  returned.  When  they  got  back  to  Venice 
nobody  knew  them.  Nobody  would  believe 
that  the  little  Marco  Polo  and  his  father,  who 
had  gone  away  so  poor,  had  become  great 
travellers  and  come  back  so  rich. 

So  they  asked  their  old  friends  to  a  great 
feast.  First  they  appeared  in  robes  of  crim- 
son satin.  Then  they  changed  these  for  other 
beautiful  robes.  At  last  they  came  into  the 
room  wearing  the  torn,  soiled  old  clothes 
which  they  had  worn  in  their  wanderings. 

But  their  friends  were  still  more  surprised, 
when  the  travellers  cut  open  the  patches  of 
the  old  clothes,  and  showed  that  these  were 
filled  with  jewels.  Then  the  people  believed 
that  the  strangers  really  were  Marco  and  his 
father,  back  from  far-off  lands. 

42 


Marco  remembered  all  he  had  seen  and 
learned,  and  afterwards  he  had  it  all  written 
in  a  book.  For  a  long  time  people  did  not 
believe  his  story.  They  did  not  believe  that 
there  were  such  great  lands  as  China  and  India, 
with  millions  upon  millions  of  people.  And 
the  talk  of  silks  and  jewels  and  delicious  foods 
and  perfumes,  of  which  he  tokl.  seemed  just 
as  untrue. 

But  by  and  by.  when  men  began  to  know 
more,  they  saw  that  Marco's  book  was  true. 
It  set  men  studying  and  making  bold  plans 
for  discovery.  The  great  Columbus,  who  lived 
two  hundred  years  later,  was  one  of  those 
who  studied  the  book.  It  helped  him  greatly, 
when  he  was  making  up  his  mind  to  try  to 
find  India  bv  sailina'  over  the  sea. 


43 


A  NOBLE  CHIEF 

Long^  long  ago,  the  land  we  now  know  as 
England  was  called  Britain,  and  the  people 
who  lived  there  were  called  Britons.  They 
were  a  brave  people,  and  loved  their  land 
dearly. 

One  day  the  great  Emperor  of  Rome  sent 
an  army  to  Britain,  to  conquer  the  country 
and  make  it  a  part  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
But  the  Britons  did  not  want  to  belong  to  the 
Roman  Empire.  They  wanted  to  be  free  to 
live  as  they  chose.  So  they  fought  the  Roman 
soldiers,  and  tried  to  drive  them  away. 

For  almost  a  hundred  years  the  fighting 
'went  on.  At  last  the  Roman  Emperor,  Claudius, 
said  that  the  Britons  must  be  conquered  and 
that  the  war  must  end.  So  he  himself  went 
to  Britain  with  a  very  large  army.  The  Britons 
fought  bravely  under  their  chief;  Caradoc,  but 

44 


the  Romans  were  too  strong  for  them.  Many 
of  the  Britons  were  killed,  and  the  rest  fled 
to  the  woods  and  mountains. 

Caradoc  went  for  help  to  his  stepmother, 
who  was  queen  of  one  of  the  British  tribes. 
She  made  believe  that  she  was  glad  to  see 
him.  and  promised  to  help  him.  But  she  was 
a  wicked  woman,  and  secretly  sent  word  to 

45 


the  Romans,  who  came  and  took  him  prisoner 
with  his  wife  and  children. 

Poor  Caradoc  was  loaded  with  chains,  and 
taken  to  the  great  city  of  Rome.  There  he 
was  made  to  walk  through  the  streets  chained 
to  the  car  of  the  Emperor. 

When  the  great  procession  arrived  at  the 
royal  palace,  Caradoc  and  the  other  prisoners 
were  brought  before  the  Emperor  and  the 
Empress,  who  sat  on  a  throne  in  a  great  hall. 
But  Caradoc  would  not  kneel  before  the 
Emperor  like  the  other  prisoners.  Standing 
proudly,  with  his  head  held  high,  he  looked 
Claudius  in  the  eye  and  said: 

''You  Romans  are  fighting  to  conquer  the 
whole  world  and  to  make  all  men  slaves.  I 
have  fought  for  my  own  freedom  and  for  that 
of  my  native  land.  You  call  yourselves  my 
conqueror,  but  I,  too,  am  a  conqueror.  I 
would  rather  die  than  be  a  slave  or  untrue  to 
my  country." 

46 


The  Romans  were  brave,  and  they  loved 
brave  men.  AYhen  they  heard  these  noble 
Tvords  of  Caradoc.  they  were  filled  with  admi- 
ration for  him.  The  Empress  herself  begged 
the  Emperor  to  spare  Caradoc's  life,  and  Clau- 
dms  not  only  did  this  bnt  he  set  Caradoc  free. 

For  many  years  after  that  the  great  British 
chief  lived  in  Rome  with  his  family,  and  the 
Emperor  was  proud  to  call  him  friend. 

47 


PEACH  PEINCE  AND  THE  GIANT 

I 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  an  old  man,  who 
Hved  with  his  wife  in  a  fine,  big  house.  For 
a  while  they  were  very  happy;  but  one  day  a 
wicked  giant  came  and  took  all  they  had,  and 
carried  it  off  to  his  island  in  the  sea. 

The  old  man  felt  very  badly  over  his 
misfortune,  but  his  wife  was  quite  cheerful. 
"Never  mind/'  said  she,  "we  must  work  and 
save — that  is  all." 

So  they  worked  and  saved,  till  after  some 
years  they  again  had  a  home  of  their  own. 
Only  this  time  it  was  a  hut,  instead  of  a  fine, 
big  house. 

One  day  a  poor  man  came  to  their  door. 
"Please  buy  my  last  peach,''  said  he.  "I  sold 
the  rest  long  ago,  but  no  one  will  buy  this 

48 


one^  and  my  feet  are  sore  with  walking  in 
search  of  a  customer.  Besides,  my  wife  and 
Httle  ones  are  waiting  for  me  at  home." 

The  wife  was  sorry  for  the  poor  man,  and 
bought  the  peach,  though  it  was  not  a  very 
good  one.  He  was  overjoyed  at  the  ending 
of  his  long  labors,  and  thanked  her  and  went 
away.  See,"  said  the  wife  to  her  husband, 
though  the  wicked  giant  has  made  us  poor, 
we  may  still  do  a  little  good  in  the  world." 

Then  she  took  a  knife  to  divide  the  peach, 
that  she  and  her  good  man  might  each  eat 
half,  when — lo  and  behold! — before  the  knife 
touched  it  the  fruit  split  open,  stone  and  all, 
and  out  stepped  a  handsome  young  man. 

"  Now,  Heaven  be  praised ! "  cried  the  old 
man,  it  has  sent  us  a  son  to  work  for  us 
in  our  old  age." 

But  his  wife  said  the  boy  must  be  a  prince, 
he  was  so  fine  and  noble  looking.  Prince  or 
no  prince,  the  boy  could  not  tell  where  he 

50 


came  from  or  why  he  was  there.  As  they  had 
no  name  for  him^  they  called  him  Peach  Prince. 

Now  the  good  old  people  had  nothing  to 
give  him  to  eat  but  rice-cakes  and  tea.  But 
he  took  them  gladly,  thanking  the  good  man 
and  his  wife  for  their  kindness. 

Day  after  day  passed,  and  the  man  and 
his  wife  were  still  kind  to  the  lad,  caring  for 
him  as  if  he  had  been  their  own  son.  Then 
he  said  to  himself,  ''It  shall  come  true  as  the 
good  man  said.  I  will  work  for  them  when 
they  are  old,  and,  meantime,  I  must  learn 
how." 

51 


So  he  helped  the  woman  in  her  household 
tasks,  and  went  with  the  men  to  the  rice-fields. 
There  he  soon  learned  all  that  was  to  be  done, 
and  could  do  as  much  work  as  any  of  the 
men. 

''This  is  a  wonderful  boy/'  said  the  men 
among  themselves  ;  "  he  will  do  great  things 
when  he  grows  up." 

Peach  Prince  grew  up  all  the  more  quickly 
because  of  all  the  hard  work  he  did.  The 
money  he  earned  was  used  to  improve  the 
home,  so  that  in  a  few  years  his  kind  friends 
were  living  almost  as  well  as  ever. 

Then  they  told  Peach  Prince  how  well  off 
they  had  been  long  years  before,  and  how  the 
wicked  giant  had  robbed  them  of  all  they  had. 
He  had  even  taken  down  their  house,  and 
carried  away  parts  of  it  to  build  one  for  him- 
self on  his  island  in  the  sea. 

"  Now  I  know  why  I  was  sent  to  you," 
said  Peach  Prince.     "  I  am  to  kill  the  giant 

52 


and  bring  you  back  your  treasures.  I  hear 
the  voice  within  me.    I  will  start  at  once.'' 


II 

The  good  wife  made  Peach  Prince  some 
dumplings,  and  he  started  on  his  way.  After 
a  time  he  met  a  monkey,  who  asked  him 
where  he  was  going. 

53 


"  I  am  going  to  kill  the  wicked  giant  who 
took  all  my  master's  goods,"  replied  Peach 
Prince. 

Give  me  a  dumpling,  and  I  will  go  with 
you,"  said  the  monkey.  So  Peach  Prince  gave 
him  a  dumpling,  and  the  monkey  went  with 
him. 

Soon  they  met  a  bird,  who  asked  where 
they  were  going. 

''I  am  going  to  kill  the  wicked  giant  who 
took  all  my  master's  goods,"  replied  Peach 
Prince. 

Give  me  a  dumpling,  and  I  will  go  with 
you,"  said  the  bird.  So  Peach  Prince  gave 
him  a  dumpling,  and  the  bird  went  with  them. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  sea  shore.  Here 
they  found  a  big  boat.  In  this  they  set  sail 
and  soon  reached  the  island. 

The  bird  flew  ahead  to  find  the  best  place 
to  land,  and  when  they  reached  shallow  water, 
the  monkey  skipped  out  and  carried  the  rope 

54 


ashore.  When  they  landed,  Peach  Prince  took 
the  monkey  on  his  back  and  the  bird  on  his 
headj  and,  with  a  heavy  club  in  his'  hand, 
went  to  look  for  the  giant's  home. 

It  was  soon  found,  for  it  was  a  very  big 
house  which  you  could  not  miss,  once  you 
set  foot  upon  the  island.  It  was  built  of  the 
parts  of  many  houses,  which  the  giant  had 
stolen  from  the  honest  people  who  lived  on 
the  mainland. 

The  giant  was  at  dinner.  Peach  Prince 
struck  three  heavy  blows  on  the  door  with 
his  club,  and  out  came  the  master,  roaring 
with  rage. 

When  he  saw  his  three  visitors  he  stopped 
in  astonishment.  Before  he  could  say  a  word, 
the  monkey  ran  up  his  back  and  sat  on  his 
shoulders.  Then  he  wound  his  legs  tightly 
about  the  giant's  neck,  and  with  his  little 
hands,  which  just  fitted  over  the  giant's  eye- 
lids, held  them  shut. 

55 


The  bird  flew  about  the  head  of  the  giant, 
pecking  at  him  in  so  many  places  that  he 
thought  a  flock  of  crows  must  have  come 
from  behind  the  house  to  attack  him. 

And  now  Peach  Prince  leaped  at  the  giant, 
and  rained  on  him  such  a  shower  of  blows 
with  his  club  that  they  seemed  to  come  from 
an  army.     The  giant  believed  that  there  was 

56 


magic  in  this  sudden  attack,  and  down  he 
tumbled  on  his  knees  and  begged  for  mercy. 

Peach  Prince  made  the  giant  load  all  the 
boats  he  had  Avith  all  the  things  he  had 
stolen,  and  send  his  servants  to  take  them 
back  to  their  owners. 

Xow  these  verv  servants  were  slaves  whom 
the  giant  had  made  captive  from  time  to  time, 
and  they  were  very  glad  to  go  free  again. 
While  they  all  worked  very  hard  loading  the 
boats,  the  giant  stood  by,  looking  on.  He  was 
very  sorry,  for  he  knew  his  time  had  come. 

His  figure  began  to  droop  more  and  more, 
and  then  to  lose  its  great  size.  He  became 
smaller  than  Peach  Prince,  but  he  did  not 
stop  there.  He  kept  on  till  he  was  smaller 
than  the  monkey,  and  at  last  smaller  than 
the  bird. 

As  the  last  boat  left  the  shore,  he  was 
seen  to  throw  up  his  tiny  hands  and  disappear 
altogether. 

57 


JACK  FROST 

The  door  was  shut,  as  doors  should  be. 

Before  you  went  to  bed  last  night; 
'  Yet  Jack  Frost  has  got  in,  you  see, 
And  left  your  window  silver  white. 

He  must  have  waited  till  you  slept; 

And  not  a  single  word  he  spoke. 
But  penciled  o'er  the  panes  and  crept 

Away  again  before  you  woke. 

And  now  you  cannot  see  the  hills 

Nor  fields  that  stretch  beyond  the  lane; 

But  there  are  fairer  things  than  these 
His  fingers  traced  on  every  pane : 

Rocks  and  castles  towering  high ; 

Hills  and  dales  and  streams  and  fields, 
And  knights  in  armor  riding  by^ 

With  nodding  plumes  and  shining  shields. 

58 


And  here  are  little  boats,  and  there 

Big  ships  with  sails  spread  to  the  breeze; 

And  yonder,  palm  trees  waving  fair 
On  islands  set  in  silver  seas. 

And  butterflies  with  gauzy  wings ; 

And  herds  of  cows  and  flocks  of  sheep ; 
And  fruits  and  flowers  and  all  the  things 

You  see  when  you  are  sound  asleep. 

For  creeping  softly  underneath 

The  door  when  all  the  lights  are  out, 

Jack  Frost  takes  every  breath  you  breathe^ 
And  knows  the  things  you  think  about. 

He  paints  them  on  the  window  pane 
In  fairy  lines  with  frozen  steam ; 

And  when  you  wake  you  see  again 
The  lovely  things  you  saw  in  dream. 

Gabriel  SetoijNc 


59 


BELLING  THE  CAT 
Long-Tail,  chairman  of  meeting 
Gray-Coat  Beady-Eyes 
Stubby-Tail         Brown -Whiskers 
Frisky-Legs  Cat 

AN  ATTIC  CLOSET 

A  hig  gray  mouse  sits  at  a  table.    Sitting  on  the 
floor  in  front  of  him  are  a  number  of  mice  of 
different  sizes. 

Long- Tail :  {Pounding  on  table  with  fist)  Be  quiet ! 
Be  quiet,  I  tell  you !  Now  will  somebody 
please  tell  us  what  we  are  here  for. 

Gray  -  Coat :  {Rises  slowly,)  We  have  met  here 
to-day  to  talk  over  a  most  important  mat- 
ter. As  you  all  know,  we  are  no  longer 
safe  in  this  house.  There  is  hardly  one 
of  us  who  has  not  lost  some  near  relative 
or  friend  in  the  last  few  weeks.  Only 


yesterday  one  of  my  own  brothers  was 
cruelly  killed  and  eaten.  Excuse  me,  my 
friends.  {Takes  out  handkerchief  and  icipes 
his  eyes.)  Now,  something  must  be  done 
about  the  matter.  We  must  decide  what 
it  is  best  to  do.    {Sits  down,) 

61 


Stuhhy-Tail :  {Rises  slowly,)  Gray-Coat  is  right. 
This  is  indeed  a  very  sad  business.  I 
myself  was  almost  killed.  As  you  can  all 
see,  I  have  lost  most  of  my  beautiful 
tail.  The  cruel  cat  bit  it  off,  and  it  was 
only  by  the  greatest  good  luck  that  I 
got  away  from  her.  Something  must  be 
done. 

Other  Mice  :  {Speaking  together.)  Yes,  yes  !  Some- 
thing must  be  done! 

Long- Tail :  I  think  we  are  all  agreed  that  some- 
thing must  be  done ;  but  the  question  is 
what  shall  be  done.  Has  anyone  any  plan 
to  offer? 

Frisky-Legs :  {Jumping  up  quickly.)  I  have  a 
plan !  Let's  drown  the  cat.  We  can  get 
her  up  on  the  edge  of  the  rain-barrel,  and 
then  push  her  into  the  water.  She 
can't  get  out,  and  will  be  drowned. 

Beady-Eyes :  {Jumping  up  qtdckly.)  I  have  a 
better  plan  than  that.    Let's  put  poison 


into  her  saucer  of  milk.  Then  when  she 
has  eaten  it  she  will  die.  Ha,  ha !  It 
will  serve  her  right! 

Broiun- Whiskers :  {Jumping  itp  quicMy)  Oh.  I 
know  something  still  better  than  either  of 
those  plans.  Let's  fasten  a  bell  around 
her  neck.  Then  when  we  hear  her  com- 
ing we  can  run  a  way. 

Other  Alice:  {Laurjliing  cmd  speaking  loudhj,)  Ha, 
ha !  That's  the  thing  to  do ;  the  very 
thing ! 

Long- Tail:  {Pounding  on  taUe,)  Be  quiet!  You 
are  making  too  much  noise.  AVe  are  all 
agreed  that  something  must  be  done  to 
get  rid  of  the  cat,  and  three  plans  have 
been  offered.  Xow  what  have  you  to  say 
about  these  plans  ? 

Frisky-Legs :  I  think  Brown-AYhiskers'  plan  of 
putting  a  bell  on  the  cat's  neck  is  much 
better  than  mine.    So  I  withdraw  my  plan. 

Long- Tail :  Frisky-Legs  withdraws  his  plaru 


Beady-Eyes  :  {Jumping  up  mucli  excited^  I  won't 
withdraw  my  plan.  I  think  we  ought  to 
kill  the  cat.  She  is  a  very  cruel  animal. 
She  has  eaten  many  of  our  dear  friends. 
If  we  poison  her  she  will  die  a  painful 
death. 

64 


Long-Tail :  Well,  we  shall  have  to  vote  to  see 
which  of  these  plans  we  shall  follow.  AVe 
will  first  vote  on  Beady-Eyes'  plan.  All 
those  in  favor  of  poisoning  the  cat  wiiJ 
please  say  Ay."' 

Beady-Eyes :  Ay. 

Long-Tail :  All  not  in  favor. 

Many  Mice  :  Xo  I 

Long- Tail :  Beady-Eyes'  plan  is  not  adopted. 
Xow  all  those  in  favor  of  Brown-Whiskers^ 
plan  of  belling  the  cat.  please  say  "Ay.'' 

Many  Mice  :  Ay. 

Long- Tail :  All  not  in  favor. 

Beady-Eyes  :  Xo  I 

Long- Tad :  Brown-Whiskers'  plan  is  adopted. 

We  will  put  a  hell  on  the  cat. 
Many  Mice  :  Ah.  that's  the  thing  to  do  ?  She 

won't  catch  any  more  of  us  I     Yes.  yes  I 

That's  a  fine  plan  1 
Long-Tad  :   {Pounding  on  tahle)    Please  he  quiet! 

We  have  decided  to  put  a  bell  on  the  cat, 

65 


so  that  we  can  hear  her  coming  and  run 
away.  Now  the  question  is,  Who  will  put 
the  bell  on  her?  {The  mice  look  at  each  other 
and  say  nothing)  Brown- Whiskers,  it  is  your 
idea.    Will  you  put  the  bell  on  the  cat? 

Brown-  Whiskers :  Why,  it  seems  to  me  that  1 
have  done  my  duty  in  oflenng  a  plan. 
Somebody  else  ought  to  carry  it  out. 

Long- Tail :  Gray-Coat,  will  you  put  the  bell  on 
the  cdt? 

Gray-Coat:  Well,  ahem!  I'm  not  so  young  as 
I  used  to  be.  It  would  be  better  for  some 
one  younger  and  quicker  than  I  to  do  a 
thing  like  that. 

Long- Tail :  Well,  we  must  find  some  one  to  do 
it.  Frisky-Legs,  you  are  young  and  spry, 
will  you  put  the  bell  on  the  cat? 

Frisky-Legs :  Why,  ahem !  The  fact  is — I  am 
very  near-sighted,  so  I  shouldn't  be  a  very 
good  person  for  a  piece  of  business  like 
that.    You  must  really  excuse  me. 


Long- Tail :  Well,  well,  you  all  want  to  have  a 
bell  put  on  the  cat,  but  none  of  you  are 
willing  to  do  it.    What  shall  we  do  ? 

Sttibhy-Tail :  {Jumping  up  quickly.)  Run!  Run! 
Here  comes  the  cat!  Here  comes  the 
cat !    {All  run  out  in  haste.    The  cat  comes  in.) 

Cat:  Ha,  ha!  They  got  away  to-day.  Next 
time  I  shall  be  quicker. 


67 


TAKING  CARE  OF  SKIP 

''Fred,  you  take  care  of  Skip^  and  Skip^ 
you  take  care  of  Fred." 

That  was  what  Roger  Mason  had  said  when 
his  brother  and  the  water  spaniel  went  to  visit 
Aunt  Dorothy,  at  Ledge  Cove,  and  Roger  him- 
self could  not  go. 

Aunt  Dorothy's  cottage  wjas  on  the  high 
land  above  a  little  bay,  where  the  sea  sent  its 
waves  splashing  against  slate-blue  rocks. 

It  was  Indian  summer.  The  birches  and 
the  oaks  that  grew  on  the  ledges  were  yellow 
and  red  and  brown,  and  the  clear  salt  air  was 
full  of  the  scent  of  autumn  leaves. 

When  Fred  w^as  at  Ledge  Cove  he  always 
liked  to  w^alk  along  the  shore.  He  would  walk 
away  out  round  the  sharp  end  of  Gull  Point, 
and  down  the  other  side,  until  he  reached  a 
place  where  he  could  cut  back  through  the 

68 


woods  and  fields  to  the  cottage.  Along  the 
shore,  close  to  the  water,  he  was  always  able 
to  find  bright  shells  and  colored  stones. 

Saturday  morning:  after  breakfast.  Fred 
whistled  to  the  spaniel,  and  told  Aunt  Dorothy 
that  he  was  going  down  towards  the  point  to 
look  for  shells. 

69 


The  boy  and  the  dog  took  the  path  that 
led  down  the  ledges,  and  in  three  minutes 
they  were  close  to  the  water.  There  seemed 
to  be  more  than  the  usual  number  of  inter- 
esting things  that  morning.  Every  other  poolj 
in  the  rocks  held  a  brownish-gray  crab  or  a 
pink-and-white  starfish.  There  were  so  many 
shells  that  Fred  had  soon  filled  his  pockets. 
Then  he  emptied  them,  kept  the  prettiest  shells, 
and  threw  the  others  away.  For  he  was  find- 
ing beautiful  ones  at  every  half  a  dozen  steps 
along  the  path. 

Close  to  the  ledges  the  rocks  were  piled  up 
topsy-turvy,  just  as  if  a  giant  had  come  along 
with  a  huge  club  and  knocked  them  down 
from  the  low  cliff.  Most  of  the  way  they  ex- 
tended down  into  the  water,  and  were  covered 
with  brown  kelp  and  white  barnacles  and  green 
seaweed. 

Skip  was  in  and  out  of  the  water,  explor- 
ing caves,  sniffing  at  a  crab,   or  swimming 

70 


across  a  ])ool.  All  the  time  he  was  enjoying 
himself  so  much  that  he  never  ceased  to  wag 
his  tail. 

And  then  something  happened.  Suddenly 
a  slim  little  animal,  broTrnish-black  and  twice 
as  large  as  a  squirrel^  ran  out  from  a  crevice 
in  the  rocks.  It  was  a  mink,  and.  like  Fred 
and  the  spaniel,  he  also  was  trying  to  find 
interesting  things  along  the  shore.  Skip  gave 
an  excited  bark,  and  was  after  him  in  a 
second. 

The  chase  led  down  close  to  the  waves, 
through  a  green  pool  and  into  the  rocks. 
With  a  shrill  little  squeal,  the  mink  plunged 
through  a  narrow  hole,  and,  to  Fred's  surprise, 
Skip  squeezed  in  after  him.  The  sound  of 
splashing  water  and  the  spaniel's  excited  barks 
came  from  the  rock  pile. 

When  Fred  reached  the  hole  and  peered 

in,  neither  the  dog  nor  the  mink  could  be 

seen,  but  the  splashing  and  barking  continued. 

71 


He  started  to  climb  over  the  three-cornered 
rock  that  lay  above  the  hole.  Perhaps,  on  the 
other  side,  he  would  find  a  larger  opening. 

He  had  no  more  than  got  his  feet  on  the 
rock,  however,  than  it  tipped  a  little  and  moved 
downward.  Fred  leaped  to  a  weed-covered 
boulder,  and  then  looked  back.  The  rock  had 
slid  into  a  new  position,  so  that  now  it  almost 
closed  the  hole  where  Skip  had  entered. 

Fred  walked  round  the  pile,  but  there  was 
no  other  opening.  He  whistled,  and  the  sound 
of  a  muffled  bark  came  to  him.  The  spaniel 
was  still  inside,  and  he  could  not  get  out. 
There  was  no  doubt  of  that,  for  he  did  not 
appear  when  Fred  cried,  Come  here.  Skip ! " 
The  mink  had  gone.  Doubtless  he  had  escaped 
by  some  small  crevice. 

Fred  circled  the  rocks,  and  came  again  to 
the  little  hole  where  Skip  had  entered.  It 
was  now  scarcely  large  enough  for  him  to  get 
his  hand  through.     He  could  see  Skip's  eyes 

72 


shining,  and  when  he  thrust  in  his  arm  he 
felt  a  warm,  moist  tongue  hcking  his  fingers. 

The  rock  that  had  moved  was  not  large, 
but  it  looked  heavy.  The  boy  withdrew  his 
arm  from  the  hole,  got  a  grip  on  the  edge, 
and  lifted.  It  did  not  stir.  Putting  the  fingers 
of  one  hand  into  the  crevice  on  the  right,  he 
tried  again,  but  the  rock  did  not  move. 

As  Fred  straightened  up,  a  wave  came  swirl- 
ing in  over  the  tops  of  his  shoes.  For  the  first 
time  he  thought  of  the  tide.  It  was  coming 
in  fast,  and  would  soon  cover  with  its  foamy 
waves  the  rock  pile  where  Skip  was  trapped. 
There  was  no  time  to  go  for  help ;  it  was  half  a 
mile  back  to  Aunt  Dorothy's.  Perhaps,  how- 
ever, some  one  might  be  walking  in  the  fields 
above  the  ledges.  He  climbed  upward,  and 
gazed  in  all  directions.  Not  a  person  was  to 
be  seen.    He  shouted,  but  no  one  answered. 

Hurriedly  Fred  scrambled  down  again.  The 
incoming  waves  were  now  washing  against  the 

74 


rock  pile,  and  Skip  was  at  the  hole,  trjdng  to 
peer  out.  There  was  seaweed  on  the  tip  of 
his  nose,  but  Fred  could  not  laugh ;  instead, 
tears  came  into  his  eyes.  There  was  his  pet, 
his  companion  in  many  adventures,  caught  in 
a  little  rocky  cavern,  and  about  to  drown  with- 
out a  chance  to  fight  for  his  life. 

Fred  stood  in  the  water  and  again  tried  to 
lift  the  rock,  but  all  his  efforts  were  in  vain. 
He  looked  up  and  down  the  shore,  searching 
for  something,  he  knew  not  what,  to  aid  him. 
Inside  the  hole,  there  were  steady  splashing 
sounds.  Skip  must  be  swimming  to  keep  him- 
self up.  Once  he  barked  and  whined  a  little, 
just  as  he  did  at  home  when  he  wished  to 
come  into  the  house. 

The  sound  was  too  much  for  Fred.  He 
turned  away  and  walked  up  the  rocky  beach, 
where  he  could  not  hear  it.  Eoger  had  told 
him  to  take  care  of  Skip,  and  now  he  would 
be  going  home  without  him. 

75 


Then  something  caught  in  the  rocks  at- 
tracted Fred's  eve ;  it  was  the  handle  of  a 
broken  oar.  A  new  hope  came  to  him.  He 
seized  the  short  piece  of  wood^  and  ran  back 
to  the  rock  pile.  As  he  reached  it  a  wave 
covered  the  top  of  it,  and  then  surged  back. 
The  splashing  sound  in  the  cavern  had  ceased. 
NOy  there  it  was  again — ^very  faint. 

The  water  was  up  to  Fred's  waist  when  he 
jumped  down  beside  the  hole.  In  frantic 
haste  he  thrust  the  oar  handle  into  the  open- 
ing and  pried  upward.  The  rock  moved !  He 
pried  harder.  It  tilted  back  sharply,  and  stayed 
in  its  new  place. 

Fred  thrust  his  arm  into  the  widened  open- 
ing. A  wave  came  up  among  the  rocks  and 
almost  upset  him,  but  somehow  he  held  his 
position,  and  groped  about  in  the  cavern  until 
his  hand  touched  a  wet,  furry  body.  In  an- 
other moment  he  had  Skip  out,  and  was 
splashing  through  the  pools  towards  the  ledges. 

76 


The  water  spaniel's  eyes  were  shut,  and  he 
did  not  move  in  his  master  s  arms. 

Fred  chmbed  out  to  the  field,  however,  and 
rubbed  the  little  dog  almost  dry  with  his  coat. 
Then  he  held  him  up  by  the  hind  legs  to  let 
the  salt  water  run  out  of  his  mouth.  After 
he  had  rubbed  him  some  more.  Skip  opened 
his  eyes  and  feebly  wagged  his  tail. 

A  little  later  Fred  and  Skip  started  back 
for  Aunt  Dorothy's.  Both  were  happy,  but 
the  little  water  spaniel  was  not  running  and 
jumping^about  as  usual.  He  was  snuggled 
comfortably  in  Fred's  arms,  contented  enough 


to  rest  for  a  while. 


Clayton  H.  Ernst. 


77 


ORPHEUS,  THE  GREAT  MUSICIAN 

Long,  long  ago,  in  the  land  of  Greece,  lived 
Orpheus,!  the  son  of  the  goddess  of  song.  His 
voice  was  so  sweet,  and  he  played  the  lyre  so 
beautifully,  that  his  fame  as  a  musician  spread 
over  all  the  earth.  It  was  said  that  his  music 
could  move  rocks  and  trees,  and  that  even 
the  birds  would  stop  singing  when  he  played. 
It  was  said,  also,  that  the  fishes  would  come 
to  the  surface  of  the  sea  to  listen  to  him,  and 
that  even  the  wildest  beasts  would  lie  down 
tamely  at  his  feet,  when  they  heard  his  music. 

Now  Orpheus  had  a  wife  named  Eurydice.^ 

1  or'  fus.  ^  u  rid'  i  se. 

78 


She  was  very  good  and  very  beautiful.  They 
hved  happily  together  for  some  years.  But 
one  day  while  she  was  picking  flowers,  she  was 
bitten  by  a  poisonous  snake  and  died. 

Poor  Orpheus  was  crushed  with  grief  He 
wandered  off  into  deep  forests  and  wild  des- 
erts, mourning  night  and  day  for  Eurydice. 
Nobody  could  console  him.  At  last  he  felt 
that  he  could  not  stand  his  grief  any  longer. 
So  he  decided  to  go  down  into  Hades,^  the 
place  to  which  all  the  dead  were  taken,  and 
ask  Kino:  Pluto  to  2:iye  Eurydice  back  to  him. 

He  took  his  lyre,  and,  playing  and  singing 
as  he  went,  he  made  his  way  down  under 
the  earth  to  Hades.  His  music  was  so  beau- 
tiful that  everyone  was  charmed  by  it.  Even 
Cerberus,2  the  fierce,  three-headed  dog  that 
guarded  the  gates  of  Hades,  forgot  to  bark, 
and  crouched  at  his  feet  as  he  passed. 

At  last  Orpheus  came  before  the  throne  of 

^  ha'  dez.  ^  sur'  ber  us. 

79 


Pluto,  King  of  HadeSj  and  his  pale-faced  queen. 
Persephone. 1  Then  he  begged  them  to  send 
Eurydice  back  to  him.  ''Why  should  she  die 
so  young  and  so  beautiful  ?  "  he  cried.  Have 
pity  on  me  and  send  her  back.  I  cannot  live 
without  her." 

Pluto  and  Persephone  were  usually  very 
cold-hearted.  They  were  used  to  having  people 
ask  to  have  their  loved  ones  sent  back  to 
the  world  again.  But  the  beautiful  music  of 
Orpheus  softened  even  their  hard  hearts.  They 
called  the  spirit  of  Eurydice,  and  told  Orpheus 
that  she  should  follow  him  up  out  of  Hades. 

"  She  shall  go  back  to  the  light  of  the  sun 
once  more/'  said  they.  ''She  shall  look  again 
upon  the  lovely  sky  and  smiling  fields,  and 
breathe  once  more  the  soft,  warm  air  of  the 
upper  earth.  But  remember  this :  you  must 
not  look  back  at  her  until  you  reach  the  upper 
world^  again.    If  you   do   she   will   have  to 

per  sef  5  ne. 
80 


return,  and  you  can  never  see  her  again  in 
the  land  of  the  hving.'' 

Orpheus  was  filled  with  joy.  He  thanked 
Pluto  and  set  out  on  his  way  to  the  upper 
world.  Eurydice  followed  close  behind.  On, 
on  they  went,  leaving  Hades  farther  and  farther 
behind.    But  soon  Orpheus  began  to  feel  anx- 

81 


lous.  He  could  hear  no  sound  of  footsteps 
behind  him.    Was  Eurydice  really  following? 

At  last  he  could  wait  no  longer.  He  turned 
his  head  and  looked  back.  Yes,  there  she  was. 
But  as  he  looked  she  began  to  draw  back. 
She  reached  out  her  arms  to  him.  Orpheus, 
filled  with  terror,  rushed  back  to  take  her  in 
his  arms.  But  it  was  no  use.  He  had  dis- 
obeyed Pluto's  command.  Eurydice  faded  out 
of  sight,  and  Orpheus  was  once  more  alone. 

Orpheus  did  not  stop  trying  to  win  back 
his  beautiful  wife  even  then.  Again  he  went 
back  to  Hades,  and  this  time  he  got  as  far 
as  the  River  Styx,i  which  flows  about  the  world 
of  the  dead.  But  he  could  not  get  across. 
For  seven  days  and  seven  nights  he  stayed 
there  without  food  or  drink,  weeping  and 
mourning  for  his  lost  Eurydice.  But  the  will 
of  the  gods  could  not  be  shaken,  and  he  had 
to  go  back  to  the  upper  earth  alone. 

^  stiks. 
82 


Orpheus  no  longer  wished  to  hve.  He 
wandered  about  m  the  fields  and  woods, 
mourning  for  Eurvdice  and  singing  sad  songs 
day  and  night. 

One  day  while  he  was  sitting  under  a  tree 
playing  upon  his  lyre,  a  crowd  of  half-craz}" 
women  came  up  and  asked  him  to  play  for 
them.  When  he  refused  they  became  very 
angry,  and  treated  him  so  roughly  that  he  died. 
His  Ivre  was  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  made 
sweet  music  as  it  rose  and  fell  in  the  waves. 

The  troubles  of  poor  Orpheus  were  over  at 
last.  After  his  death  his  spirit  went  to  the 
Land  of  the  Blessed.  There  he  found  his 
beloved  Eurydice,  and  lived  with  her  happily 
ever  afterwards. 


83 


HIAWATHA'S  FRIENDS 

Then  the  httle  Hiawatha 
Learned  of  every  bird  its  language, 
Learned  their  names  and  all  their  secrets, 
How  they  built  their  nests  in  summer, 
Where  they  hid  themselves  in  winter, 
Talked  with  them  whene'er  he  met  them, 
Called  them  ''Hiawatha's  Chickens." 

Of  all  beasts  he  learned  the  language. 
Learned  their  names  and  all  their  secrets, 
How  the  beavers  built  their  lodges, 
Where  the  squirrels  hid  their  acorns. 
How  the  reindeer  ran  so  swiftly. 
Why  the  rabbit  was  so  timid, 
Talked  with  them  whene'er  he  met  them, 
Called  them  ''Hiawatha's  Brothers." 

Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 
84 


HOW  THE  DUCKS  GOT  THEIR  FINE 

FEATHERS 

In  the  bright  moonhght  the  dead  leaves 
fell,  whenever  the  wind  shook  the  trees.  Over 
the  village  passed  great  flocks  of  dueks  and 
geese,  calling  to  each  other  as  they  sped  away 
towards  the  waters  that  never  freeze. 

In  the  lodge  War  Eagle  waited  for  his 
grandchildren.  When  they  came  in,  he  laid 
aside  his  pipe  and  said: 

''The  Duck-people  are  travelling  to-night, 
just  as  they  have  done  since  the  world  was 
young.  They  are  going  away  from  winter,  be- 
cause they  cannot  make  a  living  when  ice 
covers  the  rivers. 

"You  have  seen  the  Duck-people  often. 
You  have  noticed  that  they  wear  fine  clothes, 
but  you  do  not  know  how  they  got  them. 
So  I  will  tell  you  to-night. 

86 


It  was  in  the  fall^  when  leaves  are  yellow, 
and  long,  long  ago.  The  Duck-people  had 
gathered  to  go  away,  just  as  they  are  doing 
now.  The  buck-deer  were  coming  down  from 
the  high  ridges  to  visit  friends  in  the  low- 
lands along  the  streams,  as  they  have  always 
done. 

On  a  lake  Old-man  saw  the  Duck-people 
getting  ready  to  go  away.  At  that  time  they 
all  looked  alike ;  that  is,  they  all  wore  the 
same-colored  clothes.  The  loons  and  the 
geese  and  the  ducks  were  there,  and  playing 
in  the  sunlight.  The  loons  were  laughing 
loudly,  and  the  diving  was  fast  and  merry  to 
see. 

On  the  hill  where  Old-man  stood  there 
'was  a  great  deal  of  moss.  He  began  to  tear 
up  some  of  it  from  the  ground,  and  roll  it 
into  a  great  ball.  When  he  had  gathered  all 
he  needed,  he  set  out  with  it  for  the  shore 
of  the  lake.   When  the  Duck-people  saw  him 

87 


coming  with  his  load  of  moss^  they  began  to 
swim  away  from  the  shore. 

'  Wait,  my  brothers  V  he  called.  '  I  have 
a  big  load  here^  and  I  am  going  to  give  you 
people  a  dance.  Come  and  help  me  get  things 
ready.' 

" '  Don't  you  do  it/  said  the  gray  goose  to 
the  others.  '  That's  Old-man,  and  he  is  up  to 
something  bad,  I  am  sure.' 

So  the  loon  called  to  Old-man  and  said 
they  wouldn't  help  him  at  all. 

Right  near  the  water  Old-man  dropped 
his  ball  of  moss,  and  then  cut  twenty  long 
poles.  With  the  poles  he  built  a  lodge.  He 
covered  it  with  the  moss,  leaving  a  doorway 
facing  the  lake.  Inside  the  lodge  he  built  a 
fire,  and  when  it  grew  bright  he  cried : 

'  Say,  brothers,  why  should  you  treat  me 
this  way,  when  I  am  here  to  give  you  a  big 
dance  ?  Come  into  the  lodge ' ;  but  they  would 
not  do  it. 

88 


''Finally,  Olcl-man  began  to  sing  a  song  in 
the  cluck-talk,  and  keep  time  with  his  drum. 
The  Duck-people  liked  the  music,  and  swam 
a  little  nearer  to  the  shore.  They  were  watch- 
ing for  trouble  all  the  time,  but  Old-man  sang 
so  sweetly  that  pretty  soon  they  waddled  up 
to  the  lodge  and  went  inside. 

The  loon  stopped  near  the  door.  He  be- 
lieved that  what  the  gray  goose  had  said  was 

89 


true,  and  that  Old-man  was  up  to  some  mis- 
chief. The  gray  goose,  too,  was  careful  to  stay 
close  to  the  door,  but  the  ducks  reached  all 
about  the  fire. 

Then  Old-man  passed  the  pipe,  and  they 
all  smoked  with  him.  It  is  wrong  not  to  smoke 
in  a  person's  lodge  if  the  pipe  is  offered,  and 
the  Duck-people  knew  that. 

'  Well/  said  Old-man,  '  this  is  going  to  be 
the  Blind-dance,  but  you  will  have  to  be  painted 
first' 

'  Brother  Mallard,  name  the  colors— tell 
me  how  you  want  me  to  paint  you.' 

'  Well,'  said  the  mallard  drake,  '  paint  my 
head  green,  and  put  a  white  circle  around  my 
throat,  like  a  necklace.  Besides  that,  I  want 
a  brown  breast  and  yellow  legs ;  but  I  don't 
want  my  wife  painted  that  way.' 

Old-man  painted  him  just  as  he  asked, 
and  his  wife,  too.  Then  the  teal  and  the 
wood-duck  (it  took  a  long  time  to  paint  th^ 

90 


wood-duck),  and  the  spoon-bill,  and  the  blue- 
bill,  and  the  canvasback,  and  the  goose,  and 
the  brant,  and  the  loon — all  chose  their  paint. 

''Old-man  painted  them  all  just  as  they 
wanted  him  to  paint  them,  and  kept  singing 
all  the  time.  They  looked  very  pretty  in  the 
firelight,  for  it  was  night  before  the  painting 
was  done. 

'''Xow,'  said  Old-man,  'this  is  the  Blind- 
dance.  AYhen  I  beat  upon  my  drum  you  must 
all  shut  your  eyes  tight,  and  circle  round  the 
fire  as  I  sing.  Everyone  that  peeks  will  have 
i^ore  eyes  forever.' 

"  Then  the  Duck-people  shut  their  eyes,  and 
Old-man  began  to  sing :  '  Xow  you  come,  ducks, 
now  you  come — tum-tum,  tum ;  tum-tum,  tum/ 

"  Around  the  fire  they  came,  with  their  eyes 
still  shut.  As  fast  as  they  reached  Old-man, 
the  rascal  would  seize  them  and  wring  their 
necks.  Ho !  Things  were  going  fine  for  Old- 
man.    But  the  loon  peeked  a  little  and  saw 

R1 


what  was  going  on.  Several  others  heard  the 
fluttering,  and  opened  their  eyes,  too. 

"  Then  the  loon  cried  out,  '  He's  killing 
us — ^let  us  fly,'  and  they  did  so.  There  was  a 
great  squawking  and  quacking  and  fluttering, 
as  the  Duck-people  left  the  lodge.  Ho !  But 
Old-man  was  angry,  and  he  kicked  the  hack  of 
the  loon-duck.  That  is  why  his  feet  turn  from 
his  body,  when  he  walks  or  tries  to  stand. 
Yes,  that  is  why  he  is  a  cripple  to-day. 

"And  all  of  the  Duck-people  that  peeked 
that  night  at  the  dance  still  have  sore  eyes — 
just  as  Old-man  told  them  they  would  have. 
Of  course,  they  don't  hurt  and  smart  any 
more,  but  they  stay  red  to  pay  for  peeking, 
and  always  will.  You  have  seen  the  mallard 
and  the  rest  of  the  Duck-people.  You  can  see 
that  the  colors  Old-man  painted  so  long  ago 
are  still  bright  and  handsome.  They  will  stay 
that  wav  forever  and  forever.   Ho ! " 

Frank  B.  Linderman  (adapted). 
92 


HOW  THOR'S  HAMMER  WAS  FOUXD 

Thor,  the  great  thunder  god  of  Asgard.  was 
very  angry.  His  stiff  hair  and  beard  stood  on 
end.  His  eyes  flashed.  He  caUed  to  his  serv- 
ants with  a  voice  hke  the  crash  of  a  trumpet. 
He  stamped  so  hard  on  the  floor  of  his  palace 
that  all  Asgard  shook  as  from  an  earthquake. 
Poor  Sifj  Thor's  wife,  tried  to  quiet  him,  but 
it  was  no  use, 

93 


After  a  while  Loki,  the  mischief-maker, 
heard  the  noise,  and  stopped  at  Thor's  palace 
to  ask  what  was  the  matter. 

Matter  enough !  "  cried  Thor  angrily.  "  I 
have  lost  my  hammer." 

"  Lost  your  hammer ! said  Loki.  Well, 
that  is  trouble  indeed.'' 

Loki  was  right.  It  was  no  small  matter  for 
Thor  to  lose  his  hammer.  For  Thor's  ham- 
mer was  a  magic  one,  and  the  mightiest  in 
the  whole  world.  Nothing  could  stand  against 
it.  With  one  blow  of  that  hammer  Thor  could 
split  in  two  great  mountains. 

I  can't  imagine  where  my  hammer  can  be," 
said  Thor.   ''I  have  looked  everywhere  for  it." 

''Perhaps  somebody  has  stolen  it,"  said 
Loki. 

Thor  frowned  and  closed  his  fists  tightly. 
*'You  must  help  me  to  find  it,  Loki,"  he  said. 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  said  Loki.  For,  though 
he  was  a  great  mischief-maker  himself,  he 

94 


really  felt  sorry  for  Thor.  He  felt  a  little 
frightened,  too,  for  what  would  the  gods  of 
Asgard  do  without  Thor's  wonderful  hammer 
to  help  them  against  the  giants?  So  Loki 
began  to  think  how  he  could  help  Thor  out 
of  his  trouble. 

After  a  while,  Loki  noticed  that  a  great 
hubbub  was  going  on  away  down  below  As- 
gard. There  was  thunder  and  lightning  and 
rain  and  wind,  all  mixed  up  together.  It  wasn't 
the  kind  of  storm  that  Thor  would  have  stirred 
up  at  all.   So  he  began  to  look  a  little  closer. 

Soon  he  saw  that  the  center  of  the  trouble 
was  a  hill  in  Giantland.  There  was  Thrym, 
the  great  frost  giant,  with  Thor's  hammer, 
doing  his  best  to  imitate  the  thunder  god. 
He  was  making  a  bad  mess  of  it.  He  could 
make  the  thunder  and  lightning,  but  he 
couldn't  manage  it  at  all. 

When  Thor  heard  that  Thrym  had  his 
hammer,  he  was  more  angry  than  ever. 

95 


The  rascal ! he  shouted.  How  did  he 
dare  to  steal  my  hammer?  I'll  teach  him  a 
lesson!"  And  he  was  about  to  rush  off  to 
Giantland  at  once. 

"Wait!  Wait!  Not  so  fast!"  said  Loki. 
''He  is  stronger  than  you^  now  that  he  has 
your  hammer.  You  must  get  it  away  from 
him  by  a  trick  of  some  sort." 

Thor  was  so  angry  that  he  didn't  want  to 
wait.   But  he  knew  that  Loki  was  right. 

"Well/'  said  he,  ''what  shall  we  do?" 

Loki  thought  a  moment.  "  I  will  ask  Freya 
to  lend  me  her  falcon  plumes/'  said  he. 
"  Then  I  will  go  down  and  see  Thrym  myself. 
Perhaps  I  can  get  your  hammer." 

Now,  Freya  was  a  very  kind  goddess,  and 
,  when  Loki  told  her  why  he  wanted  her  falcon 
plumes,  she  gladly  lent  them  to  him.  So  Loki 
put  them  on  and  set  out.  "  Thrym  will  not 
know  me  now,"  he  said. 

It  was  a  long,  lonely  road  to  Giantland, 

96 


but  Loki  reached  there  safely.  He  soon  found 
the  giant,  and  ht  as  near  hmi  as  he  dared. 

Xo^'  Thryni  knew  hhn  at  once  in  spite  of 
his  falcon  plumes. 

"  Why,  heUo,  Loki !  "  he  called.  "  What  are 
you  doing  down  here  ?  Aren't  you  a  long  way 
from  home  ? 

''Ah! "  said  Loki.   'We  are  all  feeling  very 

97 


badly  in  Asgard  because  of  Thor's  hammer. 
It  must  have  been  a  clever  fellow  who  got  it 
away  from  him.  Nobody  but  you  could  have 
done  thatj  Thrym." 

Thrym  was  greatly  pleased  at  Loki's  words. 
He  nodded  his  head  and  laughed.  "Yes/'  he 
said,  ''I  stole  it,  and  now  I  am  going  to  show 
the  gods  how  to  use  it.'' 

Ah !  You're  a  bright  fellow,  Thrym,"  said 
Loki.  ''But  what  d6  you  need  of  a  hammer? 
Thor,  of  course,  needs  his  hammer.  He  can 
do  little  without  it.  Give  it  back  to  him,  so 
that  we  may  hear  no  more  of  his  crying." 

"No,  no,  Loki,"  said  Thrym.  "You  can't 
fool  me  that  way.  I  have  the  hammer  now, 
and  I  mean  to  keep  it  unless" — and  the  big 
giant  stopped  a  minute — "unless  the  gods  of 
Asgard  will  send  me  the  beautiful  Freya  for 
my  wife." 

Now  Loki  could  hardly  help  laughing  at 
the  idea  of  Freya's  being  Thrym's  wife.  Freya 

98 


Tras  one  of  the  fairest  goddesses  of  Asgard. 
and  a  great  favorite.  The  gods  Trould  never 
think  of  giving  her  to  the  frost  giant.  But 
Thrym  would  listen  to  no  other  plan,  so  after 
a  while  Loki  promised  to  see  what  he  could 
do.  and  set  off  for  Asgard. 

On  reaching  home.  Loki  first  told  Thor 
about  his  visit.  The  thunder  god  wavS  so 
angry  that  he  wanted  to  go  down  to  Giant- 
land  himself  and  take  the  hammer  away  from 
Thrym.  But  Loki  at  length  made  him  promise 
not  to  do  so.  and  then  went  to  see  Freya. 

He  found  the  beautiful  goddess  wallving  in 
her  garden,  wearing  her  famous  necklace  of 
stars.  When  she  heard  that  the  frost  giant 
wanted  her  for  his  wife  she  was  verv  anaTv. 

I  would  never  marry  that  big.  ugly  giant ; 
no.  never  I "  she  cried,  and  she  broke  her 
beautiful  necklace  of  stars,  so  that  they  went 
falling  through  the  sky  in  all  dn^ections. 

Xow  the  gods  felt  very  much  upset.  They 

99 


loved  Freya  too  much  to  make  her  unhappy. 
Yet  it  would  not  be  safe  to  let  Thrym  keep 
Thor's  hammer.  Asgard  must  be  protected 
from  the  great  frost  giants,  and  Thor's  magic 
hammer  was  its  best  defence. 

While  the  gods  were  wondering  what  to 
do,  Heimdall  stepped  up.  He  was  the  watch- 
man at  the  Eainbow  Bridge,  which  leads  out 
of  Asgard. 

I  have  a  plan/'  said  he.  Let  us  dress 
up  Thor  in  Freya's  clothes,  put  a  veil  over 
bis  face,  and  let  him  go  down  to  Thrym's 
castle  as  the  bride.  Perhaps  he  can  get  hold 
of  the  hammer  while  he  is  there." 

All  the  gods  except  Thor  thought  this  was 
a  good  plan.  The  big  thunder  god  did  not 
like  the  idea  of  dressing  up  as  a  woman.  How-i, 
ever^,  nobody  could  think  of  a  better  plan, 
so  it  was  at  last  decided  to  do  as  Heimdall 
said. 

Now  all  the  goddesses  set  to  work  to  make 

100 


Thor  look  like  the  beautiful  Freya.  By  good 
luck  she  was  very  tall,,  so  it  was  not  a  hard 
matter  to  fit  one  of  her  robes  over  Thor, 
Then  they  carefully  brushed  and  curled  Thor's 
hair,  and  placed  a  jeweled  head-dress  upon  it. 
And  to  cover  up  Thor's  beard  they  fastened 
a  hea^y  veil  over  his  face.  Then  around  his 
neck  they  hung  the  beautiful  necklace  of  stars, 
that  had  now  been  restrung.     When  all  was 

101 


done,  Thor  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a  tall, 
beautiful  goddess. 

Loki  was  very  much  amused.  He  laughed 
at  Thor's  appearance. 

''All  you  need  now  is  a  maid/'  said  he. 
''Let  me  dress  up,  too,  and  go  along  with 
you.    I  will  help  you  to  get  the  hammer.'' 

To  tell  the  truth,  Thor  was  glad  to  have 
Loki  go  with  him.  He  knew  very  well  that 
he  should  find  it  hard  to  act  the  part  of  the 
bride. 

So  Loki  was  dressed  up  as  a  maid-servant, 
and  they  both  got  into  Thor's  goat-car  and 
drove  off.  Away  they  went,  dashing  over  the 
ground,  the  hoofs  of  the  goats  striking  off 
bright  sparks  against  the  rocks  by  the  wayside. 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  reach  Giant- 
land,  and  as  they  drew  near  they  could  see 
Thrym  himself  waiting  to  greet  them.  The 
great  giant  was  very  much  excited.  He  lool^ed 
at  Thor's  tall  form.    "  Oh,  what  a  tine,  tall 

102 


maiden  she  is !  "  he  said  to  himself.  She  is 
just  the  wife  for  me." 

Meanwhile  a  splendid  banquet  had  been 
prepared,  and  a  great  many  giants  had  come 
to  welcome  Thrym's  bride.  There  were  all 
kinds  of  good  things  to  eat.  There  were  great 
dishes  of  roasted  oxen  and  salmon,  and  plenty 
of  cakes  and  sweetmeats  for  the  ladies. 

Thor  was  seated  on  a  throne  beside  Thrym, 
and  Loki  stood  behind  his  chair. 

Now,  the  giants  thought  that  the  fair  bride 
would  not  eat  much,  so  they  had  placed  be- 
fore Thor  only  a  few  dainty  dishes.  But  Thor's 
long  ride  had  made  him  very  hungry.  He 
reached  over  and  took  a  great  dish  of  roasted 
ox  that  lay  on  the  table  and  ate  it  all  up. 
Then  he  picked  up  several  big  roasted  salmon 
and  ate  them,  too.  After  that  he  ate  several 
platefuls  of  cakes  and  sweetmeats.  Then,  feel- 
ing thirsty,  he  picked  up  two  big  barrels  of 
mead,  and  drank  them  off,  one  after  another. 

103 


Meanwhile  Thrym  had  watched  Thor  with 
surprise.  Surely  no  maiden  ever  ate  like  that. 
But  Loki  leaned  over  and  told  him  in  a 
whisper  that  Freya  had  been  so  excited  at  the 
thought  of  her*  marriage  that  she  had  eaten 
nothing  for  eight  days. 

Thrym  smiled.  Ah  !  Quite  like  a  maiden/' 
said  he. 

Then  he  went  over  to  his  bride^  and  tried 
to  lift  her  veil  and  kiss  her.  But  Thor  glared 
at  him  so  fiercely  that  he  drew  back,  startled.  * 

''Why  do  Freya's  eyes  burn  so  fiercely?" 
he  asked. 

"  Oh/'  said  Loki  in  a  whisper,  that  is  be- 
cause she  loves  you  so.'' 

104 


This  made  Thrym  still  more  happy,  and 
he  called:  ••Bring  in  Thor's  hammer,  my  wed- 
ding-gift. AYhen  I  have  placed  it  in  her  lap 
she  shall  be  mine  forever,  then  together  we 
vrill  work  evil  against  the  gods  of  Asgard," 

Presently  several  servants  came  in.  bending 
under  the  weight  of  the  mighty  hammer. 
''Here;"  said  Thrym.  passing  it  to  her.  "take 
this  for  thy  wedding-gift,  fair  Freya." 

"  And  take  that  for  thine  I  shouted  Thor, 
rising.  Swinging  the  mighty  hammer,  he  struck 
Thrym  to  the  earth.  Swinging  it  a  second 
time,  he  struck  down  all  of  the  giants  at  the 
banquet.  Still  a  third  time  he  swung  it=  and 
this  time  the  palace  itself  came  tumbling  down 
about  Thor  and  Loki. 

'•'Xow.  Loki."  said  Thor.  ■•'that  business  is 
well  over.  I  have  my  mighty  hammer,  and  I 
am  Thor.  the  thunder  god,  once  more.'' 


105 


KRISS  KRINGLE 

Just  as  the  moon  was  fading 

Amid  her  misty  rings, 
And  every  stocking  was  stuffed 

With  childhood's  precious  things, 
Old  Kriss  Kringle  looked  around, 

And  saw  on  the  elm-tree  bough, 
High  hung,  an  oriole's  nest, 

Lonely  and  empty  now. 

Quite  a  stocking,"  he  laughed, 

''Hung  up  there  on  a  tree! 
I  didn't  suppose  the  birds 

Expected  a  present  from  me ! " 
Then  old  Kriss  Kringle,  who  loves 

A  joke  as  well  as  the  best. 
Dropped  a  handful  of  snowflakes 

Into  the  oriole's  empty  nest. 

Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich. 


106 


THE  AXTS'  MOXDAY  DIXXER 
I 

How  did  I  know  what  the  ants  had  for 
dmner  last  Monday?  It  is  odd  that  I  should 
have  known,  but  I  will  tell  you  how  it  hap- 
pened. 

I  was  sitting  under  a  big  pine-tree,  high 
up  on  a  hillside,  in  Colorado,  more  than 
seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  I  had 
been  watching  the  great  mountains  with  their 
snowy  caps,  and  the  forest  of  pine-trees — 
miles  of  them — so  close  together  that  it  looked 
as  if  you  could  lie  down  on  their  tops  and 
not  fall  through. 

My  eyes  were  tired  of  looking  at  things  so 
great  and  grand,  and  so  many  miles  away.  So 
I  looked  down  on  the  ground  where  I  was 
sitting,  and  watched  some  ants  that  were  run- 
ning about.    They  were  as  restless  and  busy 

107 


as  if  they  had  the  whole  world  on  their 
shoulders. 

Suddenly  I  saw,  under  a  tuft  of  grass,  a 
tiny  yellow  caterpillar,  which  seemed  to  be 
bounding  along  in  a  very  strange  way.  In  a 
second  more  I  saw  an  ant  seize  him  and  drag 
him  off.  The  caterpillar  was  three  times  as 
long  as  the  ant,  and  his  body  was  more  than 
twice  as  large  round  as  the  biggest  part  of 
the  ant's  body. 

Ho,  ho  !  Mr.  Ant,'^  said  I,  "  you  needn't 
think  you  are  strong  enough  to  drag  that 
fellow  very  far.'' 

It  was  about  the  same  thing  as  if  you  or 
I  should  drag  a  heifer  that  was  kicking  and 
struggling  all  the  time ;  only  a  heifer  hasn't 
half  as  many  legs  with  which  to  catch  hold 
of  things  as  the  caterpillar  had. 

Poor  caterpillar!  How  he  did  try  to  get 
away!  But  the  ant  never  gave  him  a  second's 
time  to  take  a  good  grip  on  anything;  and 

108 


he  was  cunning  enough,  too,  to  drag  him  on  his 
side,  so  that  he  couldn't  use  his  legs  very  well. 

Up  and  down,  under  and  over  sticks  and 
stones,  in  and  out  of  tufts  of  grass ;  up  to 
the  very  tops  of  the  tallest  blades,  and  then 
down  again ;  over  gravel  and  sand,  and  across 

109 


bridges  and  pine-needles ;  from  stone  to  stone ; 
backward  all  the  way — but,  for  all  I  could  see, 
just  as  swiftly  as  if  he  were  going  head  fore- 
most— ran  that  ant,  dragging  the  caterpillar 
V  after  him.  I  watched  him  very  closely,  think- 
ing,  of  course,  he  must  be  making  his  way  to 
his  house.  Presently  he  darted  up  the  trunk 
of  the  pine-tree  under  which  I  was  sitting. 

"  Dear  me ! "  said  I,  "  ants  don't  live  in 
trees  !  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  The  bark  of 
the  tree  was  broken  and  jagged,  and  full  of 
seams  more  than  twenty  times  as  deep  as  the 
height  of  the  ant's  body.  But  he  didn't  mind ; 
down  one  side  and  up  the  other  he  went. 

I  had  to  watch  very  closely  not  to  lose 

sight  of  him  altogether.    I  began  to  think  that 

he  was  trying  to  kill  the   caterpillar ;  that 

perhaps  he  didn't  mean  to  eat  him  after  all. 

How  did  I  know  but  that  some  ants  might 

hunt  caterpillars  just  as  some  men  hunt  deer, 

for  fun,  and  not  at  all  because  they  need  food  ? 

no 


If  I  had  been  sure  of  this,  I  should  have 
spoiled  Mr.  Ant's  sport,  and  set  the  poor  cat- 
erpillar free.  But  I  never  heard  of  an  ant's 
being  cruel,  and,  if  it  were  really  for  dinner 
for  his  family  that  he  was  working  so  hard, 
I  thought  he  ought  to  be  helped  and  not 
hindered. 

II 

Just  then  my  attention  was  turned  away 
from  him  by  a  sharp  hawk  cry  overhead.  I 
looked  up,  and  there  was  an  enormous  hawk, 
sailing  round  in  circles,  with  two  small  birds 
fl}dng  after  him.  They  were  pouncing  down 
upon  his  head,  then  darting  away,  and  all  the 
time  makino;  shrill  cries  of  fria^ht  and  anQ:er. 

I  knew  very  well  what  that  meant.  Mr. 
Hawk  was  trying  to  do  some  marketing  for 
his  dinner.  He  had  his  eye  on  some  little 
birds  in  their  nest,  and  the  partner  birds  were 
driving  him  away. 

Ill 


You  would  scarcely  believe  that  two  birds 
so  small  could  drive  off  one  so  big  as  the 
hawk,  but  they  did.  They  seemed  fairly  to 
buzz  round  his  head,  as  flies  do  round  a 
horse's  head.    At  last  he  gave  up,  and  flew 

112 


off  so  far  that  he  vanished  in  the  blue  sky, 
and  the  httle  birds  came  skimming  home 
again  into  the  wood. 

''Well,  well/'  said  I,  ''the  little  people  are 
stronger  than  the  great  ones,  after  all."  But 
where  had  my  ant  gone?  Sure  enough,  I  had 
not  been  watching  the  hawk  and  the  birds 
for  more  than  two  minutes,  but  in  those  two 
minutes  the  ant  and  the  caterpillar  had  dis- 
appeared. 

At  last  I  found  them — where  do  you  think? 
In  the  fold  of  my  water-proof  cloak,  on  which 
I  was  sitting.  The  ant  had  let  go  the  cater- 
pillar, and  was  running  round  and  round  him, 
and  the  caterpillar  was  too  nearly  dead  to 
stir. 

I  shook  out  the  fold,  and  as  soon  as  the 
cloth  lay  straight  and  smooth,  the  ant  fastened 
his  nippers  in  the  caterpillar  again,  and  started 
off  as  fast  as  ever. 

By  this  time  the  caterpillar  was  so  limp 

113 


and  helpless,  that  the  ant  was  not  afraid  of 
his  getting  away  from  him;  so  he  stopped  a 
second,  now  and  then,  to  rest.  Sometimes  he 
vvould  spring  on  the  caterpillar's  back,  and 
stretch  himself  out  there.  Sometimes  he 
would  stand  still  and  look  at  him  sharply, 
keeping  one  nipper  on  his  head. 

It  astonished  me  very  much  at  first  that 
none  of  the  ants  he  met  took  any  notice  of 
him.  They  all  went  on  their  way,  and  never 
took  so  much  as  a  sniff  at  the  caterpillar. 

But  soon  I  said  to  myself:  ''How  stupid 
not  to  suppose  that  ants  can  be  as  well-be- 
haved as  people !  When  you  passed  Mr.  Jones 
yesterday  you  didn't  peep  into  his  market- 
basket,  nor  touch  the  big  cabbage  that  he 
carried  under  his  arm.'' 

Presently  the  ant  dropped  the  caterpillar 
and  ran  on  a  few  steps — I  mean  inches — to 
meet  another  ant  that  was  coming  towards 
him.    I  could  not  hear  what  they  said,  but 

114 


they  both  ran  quickly  back  to  the  caterpillar. 
One  took  him  by  the  head  and  the  other  by 
the  tailj  and  they  got  along  finely. 

It  was  only  a  few  steps  to  the  ants'  house. 
The  door  was  a  round  hole  in  the  ground 
about  as  big  as  my  little  finger.  Several  ants 
were  standing  in  the  doorway  watching  these 
two,  as  they  came  with  the  caterpillar.  As 
soon  as  the  caterpillar  was  on  the  doorstep, 
they  all  took  hold  of  him,  and  almost  before 
I  knew  that  he  was  there  they  had  tumbled 
him  down,  heels  over  head,  into  the  ground. 
That  was  the  last  I  saw  of  him. 

The  oddest  thing  was  that  now  the  ants 
came  running  home  from  all  directions.  I 
don't  believe  there  was  any  dinner-bell  rung, 
though  there  might  have  been  one  too  fine 
for  my  ears  to  hear;  but  in  less  than  a 
minute  I  had  counted  thirty-three  ants  run- 
ning down  that  hole.  I  fancied  that  they 
looked  as  hungry  as  wolves. 

115 


I  had  a  great  mind  to  dig  down  into  the 
hole  with  a  sticky  to  see  what  became  of  the 
caterpillar.  But  I  thought  it  would  not  be 
quite  fair  to  take  the  roof  off  a  man's  house, 
to  find  out  how  he  cooked  his  beef  for  dinner,  i 
So  I  sat  still  awhile  and  wondered  whether 
the  ants  would  have  any  food  left  for  Tues- 
day.   Then  I  went  home  to  my  own  dinner. 

Helen  Hunt  (adapted). 


116 


THE  CAVE  OF  GOLD 

Once  on  a  time,  in  a  far-away  city^  there 
lived  a  man  who  was  very,  very  poor.  He 
was  a  good  man,  and  he  worked  very  hard, 
but  in  spite  of  all  he  could  do  he  still  re- 
mained poor.  Sometimes  he  hardly  had 
enough  to  eat. 

At  last  he  thought  that  perhaps  he  could 
get  on  better  in  the  country.  So  he  made  a 
bundle  of  all  his  belongings  and  set  out  from 
the  city.  On  and  on  he  trudged,  until  he 
came  to  the  edge  of  a  great  forest.  There 
he  built  a  little  hut,  cleared  some  land,  and 
settled  down  to  live. 

117 


Now  to  supply  himself  with  food  the  poor 
man  planted  a  garden  with  corn  and  melon 
seeds.  As  soon  as  the  young  green  shoots 
appeared  above  the  ground,  he  began  to  look 
after  them  carefully.  He  pulled  up  the  weeds, 
and  he  hoed  the  ground,  so  that  the  plants 
grew  very  rapidly. 

In  the  forest  near  by  there  lived  a  great 
many  monkeys.  They  watched  the  garden 
carefully,  too.  When  the  corn  and  the  melons 
got  big  enough  to  eat,  the  monkeys  went  into 
the  garden  and  began  to  help  themselves. 
But  the  owner  of  the  garden  did  not  get 
angry,  as  many  men  would  have  done.  He 
remembered  the  days  when  he  had  gone 
hungry  himself,  and  let  the  monkeys  eat  all 
they  wanted. 

The  monkeys  were  surprised  at  this.  They' 
had  never  before  seen  a  man  who  would  let 
them  eat  his  corn  and  melons.    ''He  is  a 
kind,  good  man,"  they  said  to  each  other. 

118 


"He  is  our  real  friend.  Some  day,  perhaps, 
we  can  repay  him  for  his  kindness." 

One  day,  when  the  man  was  in  his  garden, 
he  lay  down  to  rest,  and  as  it  was  warm  he 
soon  fell  asleep.  After  a  while,  the  monkeys 
came  into  the  garden,  and  seeing  him  lying 
on  the  ground  they  thought  he  was  dead. 

Oh  !  Oh ! they  cried.  "  Our  kind  friend  is 
dead !  For  a  long  time  he  has  allowed  us  to 
eat  the  good  things  that  grew  in  his  garden. 
Now  that  he  is  dead  we  must  find  a  good 
place  to  bury  him." 

The  man  heard  what  the  monkeys  said, 
but  as  he  was  anxious  to  know  what  they 
would  do,  he  remained  perfectly  quiet.  The 
monkeys  picked  him  up  carefully,  and  carried 
him  off  into  the  forest.  After  a  while,  they 
came  to  a  place  where  two  roads  met.  Here 
they  stopped,  and  one  of  the  monkeys  asked: 
Where  shall  we  take  him  now  ?  " 

"To  the  cave  of  silver,"  said  one  monkey. 

119 


"'No  I  No!  To  the  cave  of  gold/^  said 
another. 

Then  the  chief  of  the  monkeys  decided  the 
question.  "  Take  our  friend  to  the  cave  of 
gold/'  said  he. 

So  they  carried  the  man  deep  into  the 
forest  to  a  great  cave,  and  there  laid  him 
gently  down. 

When  the  monkeys  had  all  gone,  the  man 
sat  up  and  looked  about  him.  All  around 
him  in  the  cave  were  heaps  of  gold.  He  had 
never  seen  so  much  gold  before.  So  he 
gathered  up  all  he  could  carry,  and  Avith  it 
hurried  off  home. 

The  poor  man  was  now  very  rich.  He 
built  himself  a  fine  house,  and  lived  in  com- 
fort and  plenty. 

The  man's  neighbors  were  much  surprised 
at  the  change  in  his  fortunes.  One  of  them, 
who  was  an  unkind,  envious  fellow,  said  to 
him  one  day:  "How  is  it  that  you  are  able 

120 


to  live  so  well  ?  You  used  to  live  very  plainly 
indeed,  but  now  you  have  a  better  house  and 
wear  better  clothes  than  any  of  us." 

Then  the  a^ood-natured  man.  thinkina^  to  ' 
help  his  neighbor,  told  him  all  about  his  visit 
to  the  cave  of  gold. 

Aha  I said  the  neighbor.  that  is  a  aame 
I  can  play  as  well  as  you."    And  he  hurried 

121 


home  and  planted  a  garden  with  corn  and 
melons,  just  as  the  first  man  had  done. 

After  a  while,  when  the  corn  and  melons 
were  big  enough,  the  monkeys  came  into  the 
garden  and  began  to  eat  them,  as  they  had 
done  in  the  other  man's  garden.  Then  one 
day  the  owner  of  the  garden  lay  down  on  the 
ground  and  pretended  to  be  dead,  and  after 
a  while  the  monkeys  came  and  found  him. 
Thinking  that  he  was  dead,  they  felt  very 
sorry  indeed;  so  they  picked  him  up  and  car- 
ried him  off  into  the  forest,  just  as  they  had 
done  with  the  first  man. 

When  they  came  to  the  place  where  the 
two  roads  met,  they  stopped  as  before,  to 
decide  whether  they  should  bury  him  in  the 
cave  of  silver  or  the  cave  of  gold. 

While  they  were  disputing  about  it,  the 
man  kept  thinking:  "As  soon  as  they  leave 
me  alone  in  the  cave  I  will  gather  up  all  the 
gold.    Then  I  will  make  a  bamboo  basket,  so 

122 


that  I  onn  carry  home  a  great  deal  more 
than  my  neighbor." 

Just  then  the  head  monkey  said :  "  Put  him 
into  the  cave  of  silver." 

This  so  disappointed  the  man  that  he  for- 
got that  he  was  supposed  to  be  dead  and  cried 
out:  ''No!  No!  Put  me  into  the  cave  of 
gold !  " 

That  settled  the  matter.  The  monkeys 
were  terribly  frightened.  Down  they  dropped 
the  man,  and  off  they  ran  into  the  woods. 
Bruised  by  his  fall,  he  picked  himself  up  sadly 
and  went  home.  Owing  to  his  greed  he  had 
lost  all  chance  to  get  either  silver  or  gold. 
Don't  you  think  he  was  served  just  right? 


GOLD  AND  LOVE  FOR  DEARIE 

(Cornish  Lullaby) 

Out  on  the  mountain  over  the  town. 

All  night  long,  all  night  long, 
The  trolls  go  up  and  the  trolls  go  down, 

Bearing  their  packs  and  singing  a  song; 
And  this  is  the  song  the  hill-folk  croon, 
As  they  trudge  in  the  light  of  the  misty  moon — 
This  is  ever  their  dolorous  tune : 

Gold,  gold !  ever  more  gold — 
Bright  red  gold  for  dearie ! " 

Deep  in  the  hill  a  father  delves 

All  night  long,  all  night  long  ; 
None  but  the  peering,  furtive  elves 

Sees  his  toil  and  hears  his  song  ; 
Merrily  ever  the  cavern  rings 
As  merrily  ever  his  pick  he  swings. 
And  merrily  ever  this  song  he  sings : 
Gold,  gold !  ever  more  gold — 
Bright  red  gold  for  dearie ! " 

124 


Mother  is  rocking  thy  lowly  bed 
All  night  long,  all  night  long, 
Happy  to  smooth  thy  curly  head, 

To  hold  thy  hand  and  to  sing  her  song: 
Tis  not  of  the  hill-folk  dwarfed  and  old, 
Nor  the  song  of  thy  father,  stanch  and  bold, 
And  the  burthen  it  beareth  is  not  of  gold: 

But  it's  ''Love,  love!  nothing  but  love — 
Mother's  love  for  dearie ! " 

Eugene  Field. 


THE  PRINCESS  ON  THE  GLASS  HILL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  who  had 
a  meadow  which  lay  high  upon  the  hillside. 
In  this  meadow  there  was  a  barn  which  he 
had  built  for  his  hay. 

Now,  for  a  year  or  two  there  hadn't  been 
much  in  the  barn,  for  during  Saint  John's 
eve,  when  the  grass  stood  greenest  and  deep- 
est, it  was  eaten  down  to  the  very  ground. 
In  the  morning  it  looked  just  as  if  a  whole 
drove  of  sheep  had  been  there  feeding  on 
the  grass  over  night. 

When  this  had  happened  twice,  the  man 
grew  tired  of  losing  his  hay.  So,  when  next 
Saint  John's  eve  came  round,  he  told  his  sons 
that  one  of  them  must  go  and  sleep  in  the  barn„ 

"It  is  too  good  a  joke,"  said  he,  ''that  my 
grass  should  be  eaten,  root  and  blade,  this 
year  as  it  has  been  the  last  two  years." 

Well,  the  eldest  son  was  all  ready  to  go. 

127 


He  wasn't  a  bit  afraid.  So  when  evening  came, 
he  set  off  to  the  bam  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 
But  a  little  later  on  in  the  night,  there  came 
such  a  clatter  and  such  an  earthquake,  that 
the  walls  and  the  roof  shook,  and  groaned, 
and  creaked  most  dreadfully. 

The  young  man  was  so  frightened  that  up 
he  jumped  and  took  to  his  heels  as  fast  as 
he  could,  and  he  didn't  once  look  round  till 
he  reached  home.  As  for  the  hay,  why,  it  was 
eaten  up  just  as  it  had  been  twice  before. 

The  next  Saint  John's  eve  the  man  again 
said  that  one  of  his  sons  must  sleep  in  the 
barn.  This  time  the  second  son  was  ready  to 
try  his  luck,  so  he  lay  down  to  sleep  in  the  barn, 
as  his  brother  had  done  before  him.  But  as 
night  wore  on,  there  came  a  rumbling  and 
quaking  of  the  earth  worse  even  than  on  the 
last  Saint  John's  eve.  When  the  young  man 
heard  it  he  became  frightened,  and  took  to 
his  heels  as  though  he  were  running  a  race. 

128 


Next  year  it  was  the  youngest  son's  turn. 
This  lad  cleaned  his  older  brothers'  shoes, 
sifted  ashes,  and  did  other  dirty  work  about 
the  house.  His  brothers  treated  him  unkindly, 
and  called  him  Jack  the  Cinder  Sifter. 

Now,  when  he  began  to  get  ready  to  go  to 
the  barn,  the  two  older  brothers  began  to  laugh 

129 


at  him^  saying:  "Ah,  you're  just  the  man  to 
watch  the  hay,  that  you  are.  You  have  done 
nothing  all  your  life  but  sit  in  the  ashes  and 
toast  yourself  by  the  fire/' 

But  Jack  paid  no  attention  to  their  jeers, 
'and  when  evening  came  he  went  off  to  the 
barn  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  After  a  time 
the  barn  began  to  groan  and  creak  in  the 
most  dreadful  way. 

"Well,"  said  he  to  himself,  "if  it  doesn't 
get  Averse  than  this  I  can  stand  it  all  right." 

A  little  while  afterwards  another  creak  and 
another  earthquake  came,  much  greater  than 
the  first. 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Jack  to  himself,  "  if  it  doesn't 
get  worse  than  this  I  can  stand  it  all  right." 

Just  then  there  came  a  third  rumbling  and 
a  third  earthquake,  so  that  the  lad  was  afraid 
the  walls  and  roof  were  coming  down.  But 
the  noise  and  rumbling  soon  stopped,  and  all 
was  quiet  again. 

130 


After  a  while.  Jack  heard  a  noise  as  if  a 
horse  were  standing  just  outside  the  barn  door 
and  eating  the  grass.  So  he  crept  to  the 
door  quietly  and  peeped  out.  Outside  he  saw 
a  horse  feeding.  So  big  and  fat  and  grand  a 
horse  he  had  never  seen.  By  his  side  on  the 
grass  lay  a  saddle  and  bridle,  and  a  full  suit 
of  armor  for  a  knight,  all  of  brass,  so  bright 
that  the  light  flashed  from  it  like  fire. 

Ho,  ho !  "  thought  the  lad ;  it's  you,  is  it, 
that  eats  up  our  hay  ?    Ill  soon  attend  to  you.'' 

So  he  took  the  steel  out  of  his  tinder-box 
and  threw  it  over  the  horse.  This  cast  a 
spell  over  him,  so  that  he  could  not  stir  from 
the  spot  where  he  stood,  and  he  became  so 
tame  that  the  lad  could  do  what  he  liked  with 
him.  So  Jack  got  on  the  horse's  back,  and 
rode  off  to  a  place  which  nobody  knew  of, 
and  there  left  him. 

When  Jack  got  home,  his  older  brothers 
laughed  and  asked  him  how  he  got  along. 

131 


''Very  well,"  said  he.  ''I  can't  think  what 
there  was  in  the  barn  to  make  you  both  so 
afraid.'' 

"  Is  that  so ! "  said  his  brothers,  "  but  we'll 
soon  see  how  you  watched  the  meadow/'  and 
they  set  off  to  see  how  it  looked.  When  they 
got  there  they  found  the  grass  as  deep  and 
thick  as  it  had  been  the  night  before. 

Well,  the  next  Saint  John's  eve  it  was  the 
same  story  over  again.  Neither  of  the  older 
brothers  dared  to.  watch  in  the  barn.  But 
Jack  wasn't  afraid,  and  everything  happened 
just  as  it  had  happened  the  year  before.  First 
there  was  a  clatter  and  an  earthquake,  then 
a  greater  clatter  and  another  earthquake,  and 
so  a  third  time.  Only  this  year  the  earth- 
quakes were  far  worse  than  the  year  before. 
Then  all  at  once  everything  was  quiet,  and 
the  lad  heard  something  eating  the  grass  out- 
side the  barn  door. 

So  he  stole  to  the  door  and  peeped  out, 

132 


and  what  do  you  think  he  saw?  Why,  there 
was  another  horse  standing  right  up  against 
the  wall,  and  chewing  and  champing  with  might 
and  main.  It  was  far  finer  and  fatter  than 
the  horse  that  had  come  the  year  before,  and 
it  had  a  saddle  on  its  back  and  a  bridle  on 
its  neck.  But,  more  than  that,  a  full  suit  of 
mail  for  a  knight  lay  by  its  side,  all  of  silver, 
and  as  grand  as  you  could  wish  to  see. 
^  "  Ho,  ho !  "  said  Jack  to  himself,  "  it's  you 

133 


that  gobbles  up  our  hay,  is  it  ?  I'll  soon  attend 
to  you/' 

So  he  took  the  steel  out  of  his  tinder-box 
and  threw  it  over  the  horse,  which  stood  as 
still  as  a  lamb.  Then  Jack  rode  this  horse 
off  to  the  same  place  where  he  kept  the  other 
one,  and  went  back  home. 

"  Well !  "  said  one  of  his  older  brothers.  "  I 
suppose  you'll  tell  us  there's  a  fine  crop  this 
year  up  in  the  hayfield." 

''Yes,  so  there  is,"  said  Jack,  and  when 
the  others  went  to  see,  sure  enough  there 
stood  the  grass,  as  thick  and  deep  as  it  was 
the  year  before.  But  they  weren't  any  better 
pleased  for  that. 

Now,  when  the  third  Saint  John's  eve  came 
the  two  other  brothers  didn't  care  to  sleep  in 
the  barn  and  watch  the  grass,  so  away  went 
Jack  again  alone.  The  very  same  thing  hap- 
pened this  time  as  had  happened  twice  before. 
The  earthquakes  came,  one  after  the  other, 

134 


each  worse  than  the  one  \Yhich  went  before. 
Then  aU  was  still,  and  in  a  little  while  Jack 
heard  something  eating  the  grass  outside. 

So  he  stole  to  the  door  and  peeped  out, 
and  there  stood  a  horse  close  outside — far, 
far  bigger  and  fatter  than  the  two  he  had 
taken  before. 

"Ho,  ho!"  said  the  lad  to  himself  "  iV^ 
YOU,  is  it,  that  comes  here  eating  up  our  hav? 
I'll  soon  stop  that.'' 

So  he  took  his  steel  out  of  his  tinder-box 
and  threw  it  over  the  horse.  In  an  instant 
it  stood  as  still  as  if  nailed  to  the  ground, 
and  Jack  could  do  with  it  as  he  pleased. 
Then  he  rode  off  with  it  to  the  hiding  place 
where  he  kept  the  other  two  horses  and  went 
home. 

When  Jack  got  home  his  two  brothers 
made  fun  of  him  again,  as  they  had  done 
before,  but  Jack  only  asked  them  to  q:o  and 
look  for  themselves.    And  when  they  went, 

135 


there  stood  the  grass  as  fine  and  deep  this 
time  as  it  had  been  twice  before. 

Now,  the  king  of  the  country  where  these 
brothers  hved  had  a  very  beautiful  daughter. 
And  the  king  had  said  that  he  would  give 
her  only  to  the  man  who  could  ride  up  over 
the  hill  of  glass  that  stood  close  by  the  king's 
palace.  It  was  a  high,  high  hill,  as  smooth 
and  slippery  as  ice,  and  not  easy  to  ride  up, 
you  may  be  sure.  Upon  the  tip-top  of  the 
hill  the  king's  daughter  was  to  sit,  with  three 
golden  apples  in  her  lap.  The  man  who 
could  ride  up  and  carry  off  these  golden 
apples  was  to  have  half  the  kingdom  and  the 
princess  for  his  wife. 

Now,  the  princess  was  so  lovely  that  all^ 
who  saw  her  fell  in  love  with  her,  whether* 
they  wished  to  do  so  or  not.  So  all  the  princes 
and  knights  who  heard  of  her  were  eager  to 
win  her  for  a  wife  and  half  the  kingdom  be- 
sides.   From  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  they 

136 


came,  riding  on  high-prancing  horses  and  clad 
in  the  grandest  clothes,  and  everyone  of  them 
felt  sure  that  he  was  to  win  the  princess. 

When  the  day  of  the  trial  came,  there  was 
a  great  crowd  of  princes  and  knights  at  the 
foot  of  the  glass  hill.  There  was  a  great 
crowd  of  other  people,  too,  for  everyone  was 

137 


eager  to  see  the  man  who  was  to  win  the 
princess.  The  two  older  brothers  were  there 
with  the  rest,  but  they  wouldn't  let  Jack  go 
with  them. 

''We  can't  let  you  come/'  they  said;  "you 

are  too  dirty  from  cleaning  our  shoes  and 

sifting  the  ashes." 

"  Very  well/'  said  Jack,    it's  all  one  to  me.'' 

Now,  when  the  two  brothers  came  to  the 

hill  of  glass,  the  princes  and  the  knights  were 

hard  at  it,  trying  to  ride  up  the  hill.     But  it 

was  no  use.    As  soon  as  the  horses  set  foot 

on  the  hill,   down  they  slipped,  and  there 

wasn't  one  who  could  get  even  a  yard  or  two 

up.     And  no  wonder,  for  the  hill  was  as 

smooth  as  a  sheet  of  glass  and  as  steep  as 

a  house  wall.   But  all  were  eager  to  get  the 

princess  and  half  of  the  kingdom.    So  they 

rode  and  slipped,  and  slipped  and  rode,  and 

still  it  was  the  same  old  story.    At  last  all 

their  horses  were  so  weary  that  they  could 

138 


hardly  lift  a  leg,  so  the  knights  had  to  give 
up  trying. 

The  king  was  just  thinking  that  he  would 
have  to  hold  a  new  trial  the  next  day,  when 
all  at  once  a  strange  knight  rode  up.  He 
had  the  finest  horse  that  anyone  had  ever 
seen,  and  he  wore  armor  of  shining  brass. 
Never  had  anyone  seen  such  a  splendid  sight. 

Then  everybody  called  out  to  him  to  save 
himself  the  trouble  of  trying  to  ride  up  the 
hill,  for  it  could  not  be  done.  But  he  paid 
no  attention  to  them,  and  rode  straight  at  the 
hill  and  right  up  it  about  a  third  of  the  way. 
Then  he  turned  and  rode  down  again. 

So  handsome  a  knight  the  princess  thought 
she  had  never  seen.  While  he  was  riding  up 
she  thought :  "  Ah !  I  hope  he  will  ride  up 
and  down  the  other  side."  When  she  saw 
him  turn  to  go  down  again,  she  threw  one  of 
the  golden  apples  after  him,  and  it  rolled 
down  into  his  shoe.    But  when  he  got  to  the 

139 

V 


bottom  of  the  hill,  he  rode  away  so  fast  that 
nobody  could  tell  what  had  become  of  him. 

That  evening  all  the  princes  and  knights 
who  had  tried  to  ride  up  the  hill  had  to  go 
before  the  king.  The  one  who  had  the  golden 
apple  that  the  princess  had  thrown  was  to 
show  it  and  claim  his  reward.  But  no  one 
had  anything  to  show.  One  after  another 
they  came  before  the  king,  but  none  of  them 
had  the  golden  apple. 

That  same  evening  Jack's  brothers  came 
home,  too,  and  told  all  about  the  riding  up 
the  hill  of  glass.  Jack  was  much  interested 
in  all  that  they  said. 

140 


I  should  like  to  have  been  there/'  he  said. 

His  brothers  laughed.  Oh,  you  would  have 
looked  fine  there,  you  dirty  fellow,  among  so 
many  fine  lords  and  ladies." 

Next  day  the  older  brothers  again  set  out 
for  the  hill,  and  Jack  again  begged  them  to 
take  him  with  them  to  see  the  riding.  But 
they  only  laughed  and  made  fun  of  him. 

"Very  well,"  said  he,  ''if  I  go  at  all,  I  will 
go  by  myself    I  am  not  afraid." 

Xow,  when  the  brothers  got  to  the  hill 
all  the  princes  and  knights  began  to  ride 
up  again.  But  it  was  no  use.  They  only 
rode  and  slipped,  and  slipped  and  rode,  just 
as  they  had  done  the  day  before.  Not  one 
could  get  a  yard  up  the  hill.  But  they  kept 
at  it  until  their  horses  were  so  tired  that 
they  couldn't  stir  a  leg.  Then  they  all  gave 
up. 

Now,  the  king  was  just  about  to  say  that 
there  would  be  another  trial  next  day,  when 

141 


a  strange  knight  came  riding  up.  He  rode  a 
horse  much  bigger  and  finer  than  the  one 
the  knight  in  brass  had  ridden  the  day  before^ 
and  he  had  a  beautiful  suit  of  silver  mail  and 
a  silver  saddle  and  bridle  that  shone  brightly 
in  the  sunlight. 

Some  of  the  knights  shouted  to  him  that 
he  might  as  well  not  try  to  ride  up  the  hill 
of  glass,  because  it  was  no  use.  But  he  paid 
no  attention  to  them,  and  rode  straight  at 
the  hill  and  right  up  it  till  he  was  two-thirds 
of  the  way  to  the  top.  Then  he  turned  and 
rode  down  again. 

Now,  to  tell  the  truth,  the  princess  liked 
him  still  better  than  the  knight  in  brass.  She 
sat  and  wished  that  he  might  be  able  to  ride 
up  to  the  top  and  down  the  other  side. 
When  he  turned  and  started  to  go  down  she 
was  greatly  disappointed,  and  threw  the  second 
apple  after  him.  Down  it  rolled  and  fell  into 
his  shoe.    But  as  soon  as  he  got  down  the 

142 


hill,  he  rode  away  so  fast  that  nobody  could 
see  what  became  of  him. 

In  the  evening  all  the  knights  and  princes 
who  had  tried  to  ride  up  the  hill  went  in 
before  the  king  and  the  princess.  But.  when 
they  were  asked  to  show  the  golden  apple 
that  the  princess  had  thrown,  nobody  could 
show  it. 

The  two  brothers  went  home,  as  they  had 
done  the  day  before,  and  told  all  they  had 
seen. 

Oh ! said  Jack,  I  wish  I  could  have 
been  there,  too  I 

The  brothers  laughed.  You  would  have 
looked  verv  fine  there  amono;  so  manv  errand 
lords  and  ladies.'' 

The  third  day  everything  happened  as  before. 
Jack  begged  to  go  and  see  the  sight,  but  the 
brothers  only  laughed  and  made  fun  of  him. 
AMien  thev  a^ot  to  the  hill,  there  were  manv 
princes  and  knights  trying  to  ride  up,  but 

143 


no  one  could  get  up  a  single  yard.  At  last, 
when  all  the  knights  and  princes  were  tired 
of  trying,  everybody  waited  to  see  if  the  silver 
knight  would  come  again.  But  though  they 
waited  a  long  time  he  didn't  come. 

Then  all  at  once  a  knight  came  riding  up 
on  the  finest  horse  that  anyone  had  ever  seen. 
He  had  a  suit  of  golden  mail  and  a  golden 
saddle  and  bridle,  and  when  the  sun  shone 
on  him  you  could  see  him  a  mile  off. 

He  rode  straight  at  the  hill  and  right  up  it, 
as  easy  as  nothing  at  all,  so  that  the  princess 
hadn't  even  time  to  wish  that  he  might  get 
up  the  whole  way.  As  soon  as  he  reached 
the  top,  he  took  the  third  golden  apple  from 
the  princess's  lap.  Then  he  turned  his  horse 
and  rode  down  again.  As  soon  as  he  got 
down,  he  rode  off  at  full  speed,  and  was  soon 
out  of  sight. 

Now,  when  the  brothers  got  home  that  night, 
you  may  be  sure  they  told  great  stories  of 

144 


what  had  happened  at  the  hill  that  day.  They 
had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  the  knight  in 
golden  mail. 

He  was  a  fine  rider ! "  they  said.  So 
grand  a  knight  isn't  to  be  found  in  the  wide 
world.'' 

^^Oh!"  said  Jack,  ^^how  I  should  like  to 
have  seen  him !  " 

"You  would  have  looked  fine,  you  dirty 
fellow/'  said  they,  "  among  all  those  grand 
lords  and  ladies." 

145 


Next  day  all  the  knights  and  princes  were 
to  pass  before  the  king  and  the  princess^  so 
that  he  who  had  the  golden  apple  might  show 
it.  One  came  after  another,  first  the  princes 
and  then  the  knights,  and  still  none  could 
show  the  golden  apple. 

"  Well/'  said  the  king,  some  one  must 
have  it,  for  we  all  saw  with  our  own  eyes  how 
a  man  came  and  rode  up  and  bore  it  off." 

So  he  commanded  that  everyone  in  the 
kingdom  should  come  to  the  palace  and  see 
if  he  could  show  the  apple.  So  they  all  came, 
one  after  another,  but  no  one  had  the  golden 
apple.  After  a  time  the  two  brothers  of  Jack 
came.  They  were  the  last  of  all,  so  the  king 
asked  them  if  there  was  no  one  else  in  the 
kingdom  who  hadn't  come. 

Oh,  yes  !  "  said  they.  We  have  a  brother, 
but  he  couldn't  have  carried  off  the  golden 
apple.  He  hasn't  left  the  chimney  corner 
during  the  last  three  days." 

146 


''Xever  mind  that/'  said  the  king,  ''he  may 
as  well  come  up  to  the  palace  like  the  rest.'' 

So  Jack  had  to  go  up  to  the  palace. 

''How  now/'  said  the  king,  "have  you  got 
the  golden  apples  ?    Speak  out !  " 

"Yes,  I  have,"  said  Jack.  "Here  is  the 
first;  and  here  is  the  secondhand  there  is  the 
third,  too."  With  that  he  pulled  all  three 
golden  apples  out  of  his  pockets.  Then,  throw- 
ing off  his  old  dirty  clothes,  he  stood  before 
them  in  shining  golden  mail. 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "you  shall  have  my 
daughter  and  half  of  my  kingdom.  You  well 
deserve  them  both." 

So  they  made  ready  for  the  wedding,  and 
Jack  got  the  princess  for  his  wife.  There  was 
great  merry-making  at-  the  bridal  feast,  you 
may  be  sure,  for  they  could  all  be  merry,  even 
if  they  couldn't  ride  up  the  hill  of  glass. 


147 


THE  NIGHT  WIND 


Have  you  ever  heard  the  wind  go  "  Yooooo  "  ? 

'Tis  a  pitiful  sound  to  hear! 
It  seems  to  chill  you  through  and  through 

With  a  strange  and  speechless  fear. 
'Tis  the  voice  of  the  night  that  broods  outside 

When  folk  should  be  asleep, 
And  many  and  many's  the  time  I've  cried 
To  the  darkness  brooding  far  and  wide 

Over  the  land  and  the  deep : 
''Whom  do  you  want,  O  lonely  night, 

That  you  wail  the  long  hours  through?" 
And  the  night  would  say  in  its  ghostly  way: 

Yoooooooo ! 
Yoooooooo ! 
Yoooooooo ! " 

148 


My  mother  told  me  long  ago 
(When  I  was  a  little  tad) 

That  when  the  night  went  wailing 
Somebody  had  been  bad ; 

149 


And  then,  when  I  was  snug  in  bed, 

Whither  I  had  been  sent, 
With  the  blankets  pulled  up  round  my  head, 
I'd  think  of  what  my  mothered  said, 

And  wonder  what  boy  she  meant! 
And  ''Who's  been  bad  to-day?^'  I'd  ask 

150 


Of  the  wind  that  hoarsely  blew, 
And  the  voice  would  say  in  its  meaningful  way : 

''Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo ! 
Yoooooooo ! 

That  this  was  true  I  must  allow — 

You'll  not  belieye  it,  though! 
Yes,  though  I'm  quite  a  model  now, 

I  was  not  always  so. 
And  if  you  doubt  what  things  I  say, 

Suppose  you  make  the  test ; 
Suppose,  when  you'ye  been  bad  some  day 
And  up  to  bed  are  sent  away 

From  mother  and  the  rest — 
Suppose  you  ask,    Who  has  been  bad  ? 

And  then  you'll  hear  what's  true ; 
For  the  wind  will  moan  in  its  ruefullest  tone: 

''Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo ! 
Yoooooooo I " 

Eugene  Field. 

151 


A  GEEAT  AND  WISE  KING 

Many,  many  years  ago,  in  a  far  away 
country  called  Judea,  there  lived  a  king  named 
Solomon.  He  was  the  wisest  king  that  ever 
lived.  He  was  so  wise  that  even  now  to  say 
that  a  man  is  as  wise  as  Solomon,  is  the 
highest  praise  we  can  give. 

When  Solomon  first  became  king,  he 
dreamed  that  God  appeared  to  him,  and 
promised  to  give  him  anything  that  he 
wanted.  Instead  of  asking  for  riches,  fame, 
or  power,  as  many  men  would  have  done, 
Solomon  asked  for  wisdom  to  rule  his  people 
rightly. 

''I  am  but  as  a  little  child,"  said  he.  ''Give 
me  an  understanding  heart  to  judge  my  peo- 
ple, that  I  may  know  the  good  from  the  bad.'' 

And  God  was  pleased  with  Solomon,  and 
gave  him  what  he  asked  for,  saying:  "Because 

152 


thou  hast  not  asked  for  thyself  long  life,  nor 
riches,  nor  the  life  of  thine  enemies,  behold 
I  have  done  according  to  thy  words.  I  have 
given  thee  a  Tvise  and  understanding  heart, 
so  that  there  was  none  like  thee  before  thee, 
neither  after  thee  shall  any  arise  like  unto 
thee.  And  I  have  also  given  thee  that  which 
thou  hast  not  asked,  both  riches  and  honor; 
so  that  there  shall  not  be  any  among  the 
kings  like  unto  thee  all  thy  days.'' 

153 


It  came  to  pass  as  God  had  promised  in 
the  dream.  Solomon's  power  became  greater 
and  greater^  and  his  fame  for  wisdom  and 
wealth  spread  all  over  the  earth.  Many  stories 
are  told  to  show  how  wise  he  was. 

Once  on  a  time,  it  is  said  that  two  women 
came  before  Solomon  with  a  little  child.  Each 
claimed  it  as  her  own.     Only  one  of  the 

154 


women  could  be  the  rightful  mother,  but 
coulcl  the  king  tell  which  one  it  was  ?  ALl 
of  Solomon's  ministers  waited  eagerly  to  see 
what  the  king  would  say.  First  he  listened 
carefully  to  the  women's  story,  then  he  said 
to  a  servant:  ''Bring  me  a  sword.  Xow/' 
said  he,  cut  the  child  in  two  and  give  half 
to  each  of  the  women." 

At  these  words  the  rightful  mother  cried 
out  with  fear,  saying :  ''  Spare  my  child,  0 
King !  Spare  my  child !  Take  him  from  me, 
if  thou  wilt,  but  let  him  live !  " 

Then  the  king  knew  that  she  was  the 
rightful  mother,  and  ordered  the  child  to  be 
given  to  her. 

Solomon's  reign  was  most  magnificent.  His 
ships  sailed  all  the  seas,  bringing  home  gold 
and  silver  and  precious  stones,  spices  and 
rare  silks.  He  had  a  great  army  with  thou- 
sands of  horses  and  chariots.  He  built  a 
temple  whose  size  and  beauty  made  it  one  of 

155 


the  wonders  of  the  world.  He  sent  to  Hiram, 
King  of  Tyre^  for  timbers  to  use  in  building 
this  temple.  Hundreds  of  great  fir  and  cedar 
trees  were  cut  in  the  forests  of  Lebanon,  and 
dragged  down  to  the  sea.  There  they  were 
made  into  rafts,  and  carried  to  the  sea  shore 
of  Solomon's  country,  and  then  dragged  up  to 
Jerusalem. 

The  walls  of  the  temple  were  of  stone, 
and  there  were  great  pillars  round  three  sides 
of  it,  and  a  porch  in  front.  Inside,  the  tem- 
ple was  decorated  with  beautiful  carved  stone 
and  with  gold.  It  took  seven  years  to  build 
the  temple,  and  when  it  was  done  it  was  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  buildings  ever  seen. 

After  the  temple  was  finished,  Solomon 
built  a  palace  for  himself  This  was  also 
very  large  and  magnificent.  Like  the  temple, 
its  walls  were  of  stone,  and  there  were  great 
pillars  about  it,  and  a  porch  in  front. 
-    Within  the  palace  there  was  a  beautiful 

156 


throne  of  ivory  and  gold.  There  was  a  carved 
hon  on  each  side  of  it,  and  there  were  six 
carved  hons  on  each  side  of  the  six  steps 
that  led  up  to  it. 

The  fame  of  Solomon  became  so  great  that 
people  came  from  far  away  places  to  see  him. 
The  Queen  of  Sheba  heard  of  him,  and  was 

157 


anxious  to  learn  if  Solomon  was  really  as  wise 
and  great  as  he  was  said  to  be.  So  she  made 
the  long  journey  from  her  land  to  Jerusalem 
to  see  for  herself. 

She  came  with  a  great  train  of  camels 
laden  with  all  kinds  of  costly  presents  for 
Solomon.  There  were  gold  and  precious  stones 
and  rare  spices.  The  queen  was  amazed  at 
what  she  saw  and  heard  at  Solomon's  court, 
and  she  said  to  the  king: 

''I  could  not  believe  all  the  wonderful 
things  that  were  told  me  of  your  knowledge 
and  wisdom.  But  now  I  have  come  and  seen 
with  my  own  eyes,  and  heard  with  my  own 
ears.  Now  I  know  that  half  the  truth  was 
not  told  me.  All  your  wisdom  and  wealth 
are  far  greater  than  I  could  have  believed." 

So  for  forty  years  Solomon  ruled  in  splen- 
dor and  magnificence,  and  his  great  fame  and 
wisdom  have  come  down  to  us  of  the  present 
day. 

158 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  WOLF 

One  summer  night,  when  a  big,  round  full 
moon  was  shining  in  the  sky,  a  great  wolf 
came  trotting  along  the  road  that  led  to  a 
village. 

''I  must  surely  get  a  good  meal  before  I 
go  back  to  my  den/'  he  said  to  himself.  "It 
is  nearly  a  week  since  I  have  tasted  anything 
but  scraps,  and  I  am  nearly  starved  to  death, 

159 


Of  course^  there  are  plenty  of  rabbits  in  the 
mountains ;  but  one  needs  to  be  as  fast  as  a 
greyhound  to  catch  them.  I  must  see  if  I 
cannot  find  something  to  eat  in  this  village.'' 

Just  at  that  moment,  a  hungry  fox  came  run- 
ning up.  She,  too,  had  been  without  anything 
to  eat,  until  she  was  nearly  dead  with  hunger. 

When  the  wolf  saw  the  fox,  his  mouth 
began  to  water.  "  Aha !  "  he  said  to  himself. 
"There  are  worse  things  to  eat  than  a  fox." 

When  the  fox  saw^  the  wolf,  she  spoke 
very  politely.  Is  that  you,  neighbor  ? "  she 
said.    ''I  hope  you  are  quite  well." 

Oh,  yes ! "  said  the  wolf  As  well  as 
one  can  be  when  one  is  very  hungry.  But 
what  is  the  matter  with  you?  You  aren't  as 
plump  as  you  were  the  last  time  I  saw  you." 

I  have  been  very  ill,"  said  the  fox.  "  A 
worm  is  fat  compared  with  me." 

''Still  you  are  fat  enough  for  me;  for  'to 
the  hungry  no  bread  is  hard.' " 

160 


"  Why^  what  do  you  mean  ? said  the  fox. 
"  I  am  sure  you  are  not  half  as  hungry  as  I/' 

"  We  shall  soon  see !  "  cried  the  wolf,  opening 
his  great  mouth  and  getting  ready  for  a  spring. 

What  are  you  going  to  do ! exclaimed 
the  fox,  jumping  backward. 

Going  to  do !  Why,  make  my  supper  off 
you,  to  be  sure." 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  must  have  your 
joke,''  said  the  fox,  trying  to  appear  quite 
calm,  but  never  taking  her  eyes  off  the  wolf. 

''I  don't  want  to  joke,  but  to  eat,"  said 
the  wolf 

"But,  surely,  you  wouldn't  eat  me.  I  am 
so  thin  that  you  would  never  know  that  you 
had  eaten  anything." 

"You  are  better  than  nothing,"  said  the 
wolf.    "  I  am  too  hungry  to  be  particular." 

"Wait!  Wait!"  said  the  fox.  "If  I  must 
die  I  must,  that  is  all ;  but  I  have  one  last 
request  to  make." 

162 


Well,  what  is  it  ?  Be  quick  and  don't 
waste  time." 

''You  must  know/'  said  the  fox,  ''that  in 
this  village  there  is  a  rich  man.  In  the 
summer  he  makes  enough  cheeses  to  last 
him  for  the  whole  year.  He  keeps  them  in  an 
old  well  that  is  now  dry  in  his  yard.  In  the 
well  hang  two  buckets  that  were  used  in 
former  days  to  draw  up  water.  For  many 
nights  I  have  crept  down  to  the  place,  lowered 
myself  in  the  bucket,  and  brought  home 
enough  cheese  to  feed  the  children.  All  I 
ask  is,  that  you  will  come  with  me  and  let 
me  make  a  good  meal  off  the  cheeses  before 
I  die." 

"  But  the  cheeses  may  be  all  eaten  by  this 
time." 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  said  the  fox.  "  There  are  plent}^ 
of  them;  and  if  they  are  all  gone,  you  will 
still  have  me  to  eat." 

"Well,  I  will  go,"  said  the  wolf  "Lead 

163 


the  way.  But  if  you  try  to  run  away  or  play 
any  tricks,  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you." 

All  was  silent  in  the  village,  and  not  a 
light  was  to  be  seen  but  that  of  the  moon. 
The  wolf  and  the  fox  crept  softly  along  until 
they  came  to  a  wall. 

''Here  we  are/'  said  the  fox.  ''Now,  up 
we  go,"  and  he  jumped  up  on  the  wall.  The 
wolf  followed  quickly. 

From  the  top  of  the  wall  they  could  look 
down  into  the  yard.  In  the  further  corner 
stood  the  well  with  its  two  buckets,  just  as 
the  fox  had  described  it. 

The  fox  and  the  wolf  crawled  along  the 
wall  until  they  were  opposite  the  well.  Then, 
by  stretching  out  her  neck,  the  fox  could  see 
that  there  was  only  a  little  water  in  the  well; 
but  there  was  quite  enough  to  reflect  the 
moon,  big  and  yellow. 

"  How  lucky !  "  she  cried.  "  There  is  a  big 
cheese  about  the  size  of  a  mill  wheel.  Look! 

164 


Look!  Did  you  ever  see  am-thing  so  beauti- 
ful ! 

"  Xever ! said  the  vrolf,  looking  over  into 
the  vrell :  for  he  really  thought  that  the  moon's 
reflection  in  the  water  was  a  cheese. 

There,  now.  didn't  I  tell  you  the  truth  ? 
asked  the  fox. 

''Yes."  said  the  wolf,  '''you  are  surely  a 
fox  of  your  word.'' 

"ATell.  then,  go  down  in  the  bucket  and 
eat  all  you  want,"  said  the  fox. 

"  Oho !  that  is  vour  D;anie,  is  it  ? "  exclaimed 

165 


the  wolf,  grinning.  "  No,  no !  If  anyone  govs 
down  in  that  bucket  it  will  be  you.  If  you 
don't  go,  your  head  will  go  without  you.'' 

Oh,  very  well !    I  am  perfectly  willing  to 
jgo,"  said  the  fox,  who  had  expected  the  wolfs 
answer. 

And  be  sure  you  don't  eat  all  the  cheese, 
or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you,"  said  the  wolf 

"Very  well,"  said  the  fox,  and  she  climbed 
into  the  bucket. 

Down  went  the  fox  to  the  bottom  of  the 
well.  There  she  found  that  the  water  was 
not  deep  enough  to  cover  her  legs. 

"Why,  the  cheese  is  even  larger  and  richer 
than  I  thought,"  she  called  to  the  wolf,  who 
was  leaning  over  and  looking  down  into  the 
well. 

"Then  be  quick  and  bring  it  up,"  said  the 
wolf 

"How  can  I?  It  weighs  more  than  I  do," 
said  the  fox. 

166 


If  it  is  so  heavy,  bring  it  in  two  pieces." 
"  But  I  have  no  knife.     You  will  have  to 
come  down  yourself  and  help  me  to  carry  it 
up.'' 

But  how  can  I  get  down  ?  " 
Get  into  the  other  bucket." 

The  wolf  looked  at  the  bucket  a  moment. 
Then  he  climbed  into  it.  As  he  weighed 
much  more  than  the  fox.  his  bucket  went 
down  quickly ;  and  the  bucket  in  which  the 
fox  was  seated  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  well. 

When  the  wolf  saw  that  the  fox  had  got 
away  and  left  him  at  the  bottom  of  the  well, 
he  was  very  angry.  But  he  still  felt  a  little 
comforted  at  the  thought  that  he  at  least  had 
the  cheese. 

But  when  he  looked  around  he  could  not 
see  the  cheese  anywhere. 

Where  is  the  cheese  ? "  he  asked  of  the 
fox,  who  was  leaning  over  the  edge  of  the 
well  and  smiling  at  him. 

167 


The  cheese  ?  "  answered  the  fox.  "  Why, 
I  am  taking  it  home  to  my  babies,  who  are 
too  young  to  get  food  for  themselves." 

"  Oh,  you  rascal !  "  shouted  the  wolf.  But 
the  fox  had  not  waited  to  hear.  She  had  run 
off  to  a  chicken-house,  where  she  had  seen 
some  nice  fat  chickens  a  day  or  two  before. 


168 


WAITING  TO  GROW 

Little  white  snowdrops^  just  waking  up, 
Yiolet,  daisY^  and  sweet  buttercup ! 
Think  of  the  flow'rs  that  are  under  the  snow, 
Waiting  to  grow! 

And  think  what  numbers  of  queer  Httle  seeds, 
Of  flowers  and  mosses,  of  ferns  and  of  weeds, 
Are  under  the  leaves  and  under  the  snow, 
Waiting  to  grow! 

169 


Think  of  the  roots  getting  ready  to  sprout. 
Reaching  their  slender  brown  fingers  about, 
Under  the  ice  and  the  leaves  and  the  snow, 
Waiting  to  grow! 

Only  a  month  or  a  few  weeks  more 
Will  they  be  waiting  behind  that  door; 
Listen  and  watch,  for  they  are  below, 
Waiting  to  grow! 

Nothing  so  small,  or  hidden  so  well. 
That  God  will  not  find  it  and  very  soon  tell 
His  sun  where  to  shine  and  his  rain  where 
to  go, 

To  help  them  to  grow! 

Frank  French. 


170 


THE  THREE  FEATHERS 
There  was  once  a  king  who  had  grown  too 
old  and  weak  to  reign  over  his  kingdom  any 
longer.  So  he  called  his  three  sons  to  him 
and  said :  "  My  dear  children,  I  have  grown 
old  and  tired.  I  should  like  to  give  up  the 
cares  of  my  kingdom ;  but  I  cannot  make  up 
my  mind  which  of  you  to  choose  for  my  heir, 
for  I  love  you  all  three  alike.  Xow  I  want 
my  people  to  have  the  best  and  cleverest  of 
you  for  a  king,  so  I  will  give  you  three  trials, 
and  the  one  who  carries  them  out  most  suc- 
cessfully shall  have  the  kingdom.  The  first 
task  is  to  bring  me  home  a  hundred  ells  of 
cloth,  so  fine  that  I  can  draw  it  through  my 
golden  ring." 

Then  he  led  them  outside  the  palace,  and 
blew  three  feathers  into  the  air.  This  he  did 
so  that  there  might  be  no  quarrel  as  to  which 
road  each  should  take. 

171 


One  feather  flew  to  the  west,  another  to 
the  east,  and  the  third  feather  flew  straight 
up  into  the  air,  and  then  feU  to  the  ground 
in  a  lonely,  marshy  place.  The  two  elder 
brothers  followed  the  roads  their  feathers  had 
taken,  but  the  youngest  brother,  whose  feather 
had  fallen  so  soon  to  the  ground,  sat  down 
in  the  lonely  place  feeling  very  sad  and  mis- 
erable. 

Presently  he  saw  that  there  was  a  trap-door 

172 


just  where  the  feather  had  faUen.  This  seemed 
to  him  very  strange,  and  he  sat  for  some  time 
wondering  what  could  be  under  it.  At  length 
he  went  to  the  door  and  raised  it.  Then  he 
saw  a  flight  of  steps  which  led  down  to  still 
another  door.  Going  down  the  steps,  the 
prince  knocked  at  the  door,  and  soon  he 
heard  a  voice  saying, 

''Little  frog  with  crooked  leg, 
Open  now  the  door,  I  beg." 

Immediately  the  door  was  opened  by  a 
little  green  frog.  The  prince,  entering,  saw 
inside  a  big  frog  surrounded  by  numbers  of 
other  little  frogs. 

The  old  frog  asked  what  he  wanted,  and 
the  prince  replied :  ''I  want  a  hundred  ells 
of  cloth,  so  fine  that  it  will  pass  easily 
through  the  golden  ring  of  the  king,  my 
father.'^ 

173 


Then  the  old  frog  said, 

"Little  frog  with  crooked  leg, 
Bring  me  here  the  box,  I  beg." 

The  little  frog  brought  a  golden  box.  Out 
ot  this  the  old  frog  took  a  small,  dirty  piece 
of  linen,  and  gave  it  to  the  prince.  The 
prince  hardly  knew  whether  to  take  the  linen 
or  not ;  but,  trusting  in  the  frog,  he  put  it  into 
his  pocket,  and  set  out  for  home. 

When  he  got  there,  he  found  that  his  broth- 
ers had  just  returned,  with  many  coaches  laden 
with  fine  cloths  from  far  away  countries. 

The  old  king  was  very  glad  to  see  his  sons 
again.  Pulling  the  ring  off  his  finger,  he  tried 
to  see  which  of  them  had  done  the  best. 
But  of  all  the  cloth  which  the  two  elder 
brothers  had  brought  home,  there  was  not  one 
piece,  a  tenth  part  of  which  would  go  through 
the  ring! 

Then  the  youngest  brother  stepped  forward, 

174 


and  took  out  of  his  pocket  the  piece  of  Hnen 
which  the  frog  had  given  him.  But  it  was 
no  longer  a  small^  dirty  rag.  Instead,  it  had 
changed  into  a  piece  of  cloth,  so  soft  and  fine 
and  white  that  nothing  like  it  had  ever  been 
seen  before.  Now  it  passed  through  the  ring 
quite  easily.  Indeed,  two  such  pieces  would 
readily  have  gone  through  together. 

The  father  embraced  his  lucky  son  and 
said :  "  Now  you  must  set  about  the  second 
task.  Bring  me  home  a  little  dog,  so  small 
that  it  will  lie  in  a  nut-shell.'' 

So  once  again  the  three  brothers  set  out. 
As  before,  the  two  elder  went  east  and  west; 
but  the  youngest  brother  went  straight  to  the 
trap-door  and  knocked  again. 

Once  more  he  heard  the  voice  saying, 

"Little  frog  with  crooked  leg, 
Open  now  the  door,  I  beg." 

And  once  more  the  door  was  opened  to  him. 

175 


What  do  you  want  this  time  ? asked 
fche  old  frog.  When  the  prince  had  told  her 
what  he  wanted,  she  said  again, 

''Little  frog  with  crooked  leg, 
Bring  me  here  the  box,  I  beg." 

Then  she  took  out  of  it  a  hazel-nut,  and 
told  him  to  take  it  home  to  his  father,  and 
crack  it  very  gently. 

The  prince  thanked  her  very  much,  and 
turned  his  steps  homeward. 

His  brothers  had  reached  home  first.  They 
had  brought  with  them  all  sorts  of  little  dogs, 
of  every  known  shape  and  kind.  But  none 
of  them  was  small  enough  to  go  inside  even 
the  largest  walnut-shell  that  could  be  found. 
Then  the  youngest  son  took  the  hazel-nut,  and 
cracked  it  very  gently.  There,  inside,  was  the 
prettiest  little  white  dog  that  had  ever  wagged 
its  tail.  The  old  king  was  delighted,  and  said 
to  his  children :   "  Dear  sons,  your  hardest 

176 


tasks  are  over.  Xotv  listen  to  my  last  wish. 
AYhoever  brings  heme  the  fairest  laclv  for  a 
bride  shall  be  heir  to  all  mv  kingdom." 

The  two  elder  brothers  set  out  in  high 
spirits,  but  the  youngest  brother  went  rather 
sadly.  He  did  not  see  how  the  old  frog  could 
help  him  this  time.    Howeverj  he  knocked,  as 

177 


twice  before,  at  her  door,  and,  as  before,  he 
heard  her  voice  saying, 

''Little  frog  with  crooked  leg. 
Open  now  the  door,  I  beg." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  now  ? the  old  frog  asked 
as  he  entered. 

"  Ah ! said  the  prince,  "  I  fear  that  you 
cannot  help  me  this  time." 

''Never  mind,"  said  the  frog;  "tell  me 
what  it  is." 

Then  the  prince  said :  "  This  time  I  have 
to  bring  home  the  most  beautiful  bride." 

Then  the  frog  said, 

178 


^'Little  frog  with  crooked  leg, 
Bring  a  pumpkin  here,  I  beg.'' 

When  the  pumpkin  was  brought,  the  old 
frog  sent  for  six  water-rats,  which  she  har- 
nessed to  it.  Then  she  put  an  old  fat  toad 
on  the  box  for  a  coachman,  and  two  of  the 
little  frogs  behind  for  footmen. 

''Now/'  said  she  to  the  prince,  "take  my 
youngest  daughter,  the  little  frog  with  the 
crooked  leg,  and  put  her  inside." 

The  prince  did  as  he  was  told,  when,  be- 
hold! no  sooner  had  he  placed  the  little  frog 
in  the  pumpkin  than  the  pumpkin  turned  into 
a  coach,  the  rats  into  horses,  the  toad  into  a 
splendid  coachman,  the  frogs  into  footmen, 
and  the  little  frog  with  the  crooked  leg  into 
the  most  beautiful  princess  that  had  ever  been 
born  in  the  world.  Then  off  they  drove  to 
the  king's  palace. 

When  thev  reached  there,  the  two  elder 

179 


brothers  had  just  arrived.  Each  of  them  had 
brought  with  him  hundreds  of  beautiful  ladies, 
so  as  to  make  sure  of  the  prize.  But  when 
the  frog  princess  stepped  down  from  her 
chariot,  all  the  court  exclaimed  with  one  voice 
that  she  was  the  most  beautiful  of  them  alL 
So  the  youngest  brother  became  heir  to 
his  father's  crown,  and,  after  his  marriage  to 
the  frog  princess,  ruled  over  the  kingdoixx 

wisely  and  well.  G^,^^  Brothers. 


SNOWDROP  AND  THE  SEVEN  DWARFS 


The  Queen 
Snowdrop 

Voice  from  the  Mirror 


Captain  Hans 
Gretchen 

The  Seven  Dwarfs 


Scene  I 

THE  QUEEN'S  CHAJVIBER 

The  queen  is  sitting  before  her  mirror  arranging 
lier  hair,  Gretehen,  the  qiieen^s  maid^  is  as- 
sisting her. 

Queen:  There!  How  does  my  hair  look  now? 
Gretchen :  Very  beautiful,  fair  Queen. 

181 


Queen :  (Smiling.)  Do  you  really  think  so  ? 
You  are  a  good  girl.  But  I  will  ask  my 
magic  mirror. 

"Tell  me,  glass,  tell  me  true! 
Of  all  the  ladies  in  the  land 
Who  is  fairest?    Tell  me — who?" 

Voice  from  Mirror  : 

Thou,  Queen,  art  fair  and  beauteous  to  see. 
But  Snowdrop  seems  lovelier  far  to  me. 

Qiieen  :  (Looking  surprised  and  angry,)  My  glass 
must  be  bewitched !  Never  has  it  spoken 
like  this  before.  When  I  have  asked  it 
who  was  fairest  it  has  always  answered, 
"  Thou,  Queen,  art  the  fairest  in  the  land.^' 
(To  Gretchen)  Go  tell  Snowdrop  to  come 
to  me  at  once. 

Gretchen:  Yes,  fair  Queen.    (Goes  out) 

Queen :  My  lazy  stepdaughter  Snowdrop  must 
be  at  the  bottom  of  this.  She  the  fairest 
in  the  land!    What  nonsense!  (Gretchen 

182 


comes  in  icitli  Snowdrop,  Queen  seizes  her  by 
the  twist?)  Here,  you  lazy  good-for-noth- 
ing !   What  have  you  done  to  my  muTor  ? 

Snoicdrojo :  I  don't  know  what  you  mean.  I 
haYen't  touched  your  mirror. 

Queen :  You  haYe ;  I  know  you  haYO.  Take 
that !  {Slajjs  her  face)  You  are  the  fairest 
in  the  land^  are  you  ?  You  won't  be  long. 
Out  of  my  sight !  {Pushes  her  from  the  room, 
then  ivalks  up  and  down  a  moment  thinking.) 
I  know  what  I  will  do.  Gretchen,  go  call 
Hans,  the  captain  of  the  guard. 

Gretchen:  Yes,  fair  Queen.    {Goes  out.) 

Queen  :  I  will  be  troubled  no  longer  by  that 
idle  girl.  If  I  can  get  her  out  of  the  way, 
my  mirror  can  noYor  again  say  that  she 
is  fairer  than  I.  {Gretchen  comes  in  loith 
Captain  Hans.) 

Queen :  Good  morning.  Captain  Hans. 

Captain  Hans  :  Good  morning,  fair  Queen.  {He 
drops  on  one  hnee  before  her  and  kisses  her  hand) 


Queen:  {To  the  maid.)  You  may  go,  Gretchen. 
{Gretchen  goes  out)  Captain  Hans,  I  wish 
never  to  see  Snowdrop  again.  I  care  not 
what  happens  to  her,  you  understand. 
Can  I  trust  you  to  see  to  this? 

Captain  Hans  :  {Smiling  cruelly.)  Yes,  fair  Queen, 
your  bidding  shall  be  done. 

Queen :  Yery  well ;  go  at  once.  Here,  take  this. 
{Gives  liim  money.) 

Captain  Hans:  Thank  you,  fair  Queen.  {Bows 
and  goes  out.) 

Queen :  Ha,  ha !  Now,  "  fairest  in  all  the  land," 
you  will  soon  be  gone  to  a  place  from 
which  you  can  never  return.  We  shall 
see  what  my  mirror  will  say  then. 

Scene  H 

A  DEEP  FOREST 

Captain  Hans  and  Snowdrop  come  in.  Snowdrop 
walks  as  if  she  were  very  weary. 

Snowdrop :  Please,  sir,  let  us  sit  down  and 
rest.    I  am  too  weary  to  walk  further. 

184 


Captain  Hans  :  {Smiling  cruelly.)  Sit  down,  then. 
{Speaking  to  himself.)  Well,  the  sooner  it 
is  done  the  better.  {Draivs  his  stvord  and 
turns  and  looks  at  Snowdrop.) 

Snowdrop) :  Why  have  you  drawn  your  sword  ? 
Is  there  any  danger  here? 

Captain  Hans :  Danger,  did  you  say  ?  Ha,  ha ! 
Yes,  indeed,  there  is  danger.  {Waves  his 
sword.)    Do  you  know  why  you  are  here? 


Snowdrop :  No,  not  I.    But  surely  you  would 

not  harm  me! 
Captain  Hans  :  {Looking  at  Snowdrop  and  speaking 

to  himself,)    How  can  I  ever  do  it!  She 

is  so  lovely  and  so  good.    She  is  like  the 

dead  queen,  her  mother. 
Snowdrop :    Oh,  Captain  Hans,  the  queen  is 

wicked,  but  you  are  not!    Put  up  your 

sword. 

Captain  Hans :  You  speak  truly.  The  queen  is 
wicked.  She  wishes  me  to  kill  you,  but  I 
cannot.  But  what  shall  I  do  ?  I  promised 
she  should  never  see  you  more. 

Snowdrop :  Leave  me  here  in  the  woods.  Then 
you  will  have  kept  your  promise  to  the 
queen. 

Captain  Hans:  {Thinks  a  moment,)  Yes,  that  is 
what  111  do.  {Puts  up  his  sword,)  I  will 
leave  you  here. 

Snowdrop:  Good-bye,  Captain  Hans.  {Captain 
Hans  goes  out,) 


Scene  III 

IN  THE  DWARFS'  COTTAGE 

At  the  back  of  the  room  are  seven  little  beds.  In 
the  viiddle  of  the  room  is  a  table  set  for  seven 
persons.     Seven  stools  stand  about  the  table. 
The   door   is  pushed    open^   and  Snowdrop 
comes  in. 

Snowdrop:  {Sitting  down  on  a  stool,)  Oh^  how 
tired  I  am !  I  must  have  walked  for  miles 
and  miles.  I  was  so  frightened,  too. 
Every  minute  I  was  afraid  a  bear  or  a 
wolf  would  spring  out  upon  me.  And 
now  where  am  I?  Whose  house  is  this? 
{Looks  about  room,)  I  am  so  hungry! 
{Gets  up^  knocking  over  stool  and  goes  to  table,) 
Oh,  what  a  pretty  table!  I  wonder  who 
lives  here.  {Eats  bread,)  This  bread  is 
good,  and  in  this  pitcher  there  is  milk. 
I  will  drink  some.  {Drinks  milk,)  There ! 
I  feel  better  now.     Oh,  Tm  so  sleepy! 

187 


{Tries  all  the  beds  and  finally  falls  asleep  on 
one.    Presently  the  door  opens  and  seven  little 
dwarfs  eome  in,  one  after  the  other,) 
First  Dwarf:  Eh^  what!    Somebody  has  upset 
my  stool. 

Second  Dwarf:  Yes,  yes !  Somebody  has  been 
here. 

Third  Dwarf:  Aha!  Somebody  has  been  eat- 
ing my  bread. 

Fourth  Dwarf :  And  somebody  has  been  drink- 
ing milk  from  my  cup. 

Fifth  Dwarf:  Somebody  has  been  handling 
my  fork. 

Sixth  Dwarf :  Somebody  has  been  using  my 
knife. 

Seventh  Dwarf:  My  spoon  is  gone!  Ah,  there 
it  is  on  the  floor. 

First  Dwarf :  Just  look  at  my  bed.  Somebody 
has  been  lying  in  it.  {The  dwarfs  all  turn 
from  the  table  and  run  to  look  at  their  beds. 
The  seventh  dwarf  sees  Snowdrop  on  his  bed,) 


Seventh  Dwarf:  Oh,  oh!    Look  here! 
First  Dwarf:  AYhat  a  lovely  girl! 
Second  Diuarf :  Yes,  how  beautiful  she  is 
Third  Divarf :  We  must  not  wake  her. 
Fourth  Dwarf :  Xo  !    Let  her  sleep  ! 

189 


Fifth  Dwarf:    She  has  lost  her  way  in  the 
woods. 

Sixth  Dwarf:  Yes,  poor  thing,  she  must  be 
tired  out. 

Seventh  Dwarf:    I  will  sleep  on  the  floor  to- 
night. 

First  Dwarf:   You  may  sleep  in  my  bed  if 

you  wish. 
All  the  other  Dwarfs :  Or  in  mine ! 
Seventh  Dwarf :   Thank  you,  brothers,  you  are 

kind  and  generous,  but  I  shall  be  all  right 

on  the  floor. 
First  Dwarf:  Now  let  us  eat  our  supper.  But 

let  us  be  very  careful  not  to  wake  the 

little  stranger. 

Scene  IV 

IN  THE  DWARFS'  COTTAGE  NEXT  MORNING 

The  Dwarfs  have  eaten  breakfast  and  cleared  away 
the  dishes  and  food^  leaving  a  place  set  for 

190 


Snowdrop,  They  are  getting  ready  to  go  out 
to  tcork. 

Snoicdrop :  {Opening  her  eyes  and  sitting  ip) 
Where  am  I  ?  Whose  house  is  this  ? 
AYhere  is  Captain  Hans  ?    Oh  ! 

First  Dwarf:  Do  not  be  afraid,  httle  girl. 
Nobody  will  hurt  you. 

Snowdrop  :  Oh  !  I  remember  now.  I  was  lost 
in  the  woods.  I  walked  ever  so  far  be- 
fore I  came  to  this  house. 

First  Diuarf:  What  is  your  name,  and  where 
is  your  home,  little  girl  ? 

Snowdrop :  {Looking  sad.)  My  name  is  Snowdrop, 
but  I  have  no  home.  I  did  live  with  my 
stepmother,  the  queen,  but  she  was  very 
cruel.  She  had  Hans,  the  captain  of  the 
guard,  take  me  out  into  the  woods  to  kill 
me.  But  he  was  not  so  wicked  as  the 
queen,  and  left  me  in  the  woods,  and  now 
I  am  here.  I  never  can  go  back.  The 
queen  would  kill  me  if  I  did. 


Second  Dwarf:  You  must  stay  with  us. 
Third  Dwarf:    Yes,  yes,  this  shall  be  your 
home. 

Fourth  Dwarf :  You  can  keep  house  for  us,  and 
we  will  take  care  of  you. 

Fifth  Dwarf:  What  say  you,  brothers  ? 

Sixth  and  Seventh  Dwarfs:  Yes,  yes,  you  must 
make  your  home  with  us. 

Snowdrop :  Oh,  how  kind  you  are ! 

First  Dwarf:  Well,  then  it  is  agreed,  is  it  not? 

Snowdrop :  Yes,  I  will  be  your  housekeeper. 
I  will  keep  your  house  in  order,  and  wash 
and  cook  and  knit  and  spin  for  you. 

First  Dwarf:  Ha,  ha!  That  will  be  fine,  will 
it  not,  brothers  ? 

Other  Dwarfs :  Yes,  yes  !   Hurrah  for  Snowdrop ! 

First  Dwarf:  But  it  is  time  for  us  to  go  to 
work.  Be  careful  and  let  nobody  into  the 
house  while  we  are  gone.  The  wicked 
queen  will  soon  find  out  where  you  are, 
and  may  try  to  kill  you. 


Snowdrop :  Never  fear.    I  will  take  good  care. 
Dwarfs :  Good-bye,  Snowdrop,  good-bye  I  {All 
go  out) 

Snowdrop  :  Good-bye,  kind  dwarfs  ! 

Scene  Y 

THE  QUEEN'S  CHAjVIBER 

Queen:  There,  now,  that  good-for-nothing  girl 
is  gone.  I  kept  her  here  too  long.  Let's 
see  what  my  magic  mirror  says  to-day. 

''Tell  me,  glass,  tell  me  true! 
Of  all  the  ladies  in  the  land 
Who  is  fairest  ?    Tell  me — ^who  ?  " 

193 


Voice  from  Mirror: 
ThoUj  Queen,  art  the  fairest  in  all  this  land ; 
But  over  the  hills,  in  the  greenwood  shade, 
Where  the  seven  dwarfs  their  dwelling  have 
made. 

There  Snowdrop  is  hiding  her  head ;  and  she 
Seems  lovelier  far,  O  Queen,  to  me. 
Queen:  Oh,  oh!  Snowdrop  still  alive!  That 
cowardly  Captain  Hans  did  not  kill  her, 
then.  What  shall  I  do  now?  {Walks  up 
and  doivn.)  Oh,  I  have  it!  I  will  poison 
her.  Here,  I  will  put  poison  on  this  comb. 
Then  I  will  dress  up  so  that  she  will  not 
know  me,  and  go  to  see  her  at  the  dwarfs' 
house.    I  will  get  rid  of  her  yet. 

Scene  VI 

IN  THE  DWARFS'  COTTAGE 

Snowdrop  is  sitting  hy  the  fire  spinning. 

Snowdrop :  How  pleasant  and  cozy  it  is  here ! 
The  dwarfs  were  so  kind  to  give  me  a  home. 

194 


{Tliere  is  hnocking  at  the  door.    Snowdrojj  gets 

up  and  calls.)    Who  is  there  ? 
Queen:  (Outside.)    Fine  wares  to  sell!  Fine 

wares  to  sell ! 
Snoivdro]) :  I  cannot  let  you  in. 
Queen :  Very  well,  it  matters  not.    Only  open 

the  door  a  little,  and  let  me  show  you 

what  pretty  things  I  have. 


Snowdrop :  I'm  sure  there's  no  harm  in  looking. 

( Opens  door.    Queen  gives  her  a  jwisoned  comb.) 

Oh,  what  a  pretty  comb !    Let  me  put  it 

in  my  hair.    (Puts  it  in  her  hair.)    Oh !  {She 

falls  to  the  floor  senseless.) 
Queen :    Ha,  ha !     Lie  there  now  and  never 

wake  again.    ( Goes  away  laughing  and  shaking 

her  head.  After  a  time  the  dwarfs  come  hack) 
First  Dwarf :  {Seeing  Snowdrop  lying  on  the  floor.) 

Why,  what  is  this?    {The  dtvarfs  all  gather 

round  her.) 
Second  Dwarf:  Is  she  asleep? 
Third  Dwarf :  {Noticing  the  comb  in  her  hair  and 

pulling  it  out.)   Aha !  See  this !   The  wicked 

queen  has  been  here. 
First  Dwarf:  The  wicked  queen! 
Second  Dwarf:  Come,  brothers,  we  must  hasten. 

Let's  put  her  on  my  bed.    {They  pick  her 

up  and  lay  her  on  the  bed.     One  brings  water 

to  sprinkle  her  face^  one  fans  her^  another  ruhs 

her  wrists,  etc.) 


Third  Dwarf :  She  breathes  still. 
Fourth  Dwarf :  Yes,  yes !    She  is  not  dead. 
Fifth  Divarf:  Look!   She  opens  her  eyes. 
Snowdrop:    Where  am  I?     Oh,  where  is  my 
new  comb  ? 

First  Diuarf:  The  comb  is  gone.  You  Avill 
never  see  it  again.  It  was  a  poisoned 
gift,  the  gift  of  the  wicked  queen. 

197 


Scene  VII 

IN  THE  QUEEN'S  CHAMBER 

Queen:  By  this  time  the  poisoned  comb  has 
done  its  work.  Now  I  will  see  what  my 
mirror  says. 

Tell  me,  glass,  tell  me  true ! 
Of  all  the  ladies  in  the  land 
Who  is  fairest  ?    Tell  me — who  ?  " 

Voice  from  Mirror : 
Thou,  Queen,  art  the  fairest  in  all  this  land ; 
But  over  the  hills,  in  the  greenwood  shade. 
Where  the  seven  dwarfs  their  dwelling  have 
made. 

There  Snowdrop  is  hiding  her  head ;  and  she 
Seems  lovelier  far,  O  Queen,  to  me. 

Queen :  What !    Does  that  girl  still  live  ?  It 

must  be  so,  for  my  mirror  tells  the  truth. 

She  shall  die  if  it  costs  me  my  life.  This 

time  I  will  make  sure.    {Takes  an  apple 

from  a  side  table,)    I  will  put  poison  into 

198 


this  apple  and  take  it  to  her.  If  she  so 
much  as  tastes  it  she  will  die. 


Scene  YIII 

IX  THE  DWARFS'  COTTAGE. 

Snowdrop  is  sitting  hy  the  fire  mending. 

Snoicdrop :  Dear  me,  what  a  lot  of  mending  I 
have  to  do !  I  must  work  hard  to-day. 
The  little  dwarfs  wear  out  their  clothes  so 
quickly,  working  in  the  mountains.  {There 
is  a  knock  on  the  door.)    Who  is  there  ? 

Queen  :   (Outside.)    Only  a  poor  woman. 

Snoiudrop :  {Opening  window  and  looking  out.) 
AYhat  do  you  want  ?    I  cannot  let  you  in. 

Queen :  Why  should  you  fear  me  ?  I  could 
not  harm  you  eyen  if  I  wished. 

Snoivdrop :  But  the  dwarfs  told  me  not  to  let 
anyone  come  in.    I  dare  not  disobey  them. 

Queen :  Oh,  yery  well.  I  see  you  are  a  good 
girl.  So  I  will  giye  you  this.  {Gives  her 
a  big  red  applei) 


Snowdrop :  Oh,  thank  you !  I  am  so  fond  of 
apples.  {Takes  apple.)  I  am  sorry  I  can- 
not let  you  in. 

Queen :  Never  mind  ;  some  day  I'll  come  again.. 
Good-bye.    {Goes  away) 

Snowdrop :  I'm  sure  she  seemed  a  nice  old 
woman.  What  a  fine  big  apple  this  is  1 
{Takes  a  bite  and  at  once  falls  senseless.  After 
a  time  the  dwarfs  come  in  and  find  Snowdrop 
lying  on  the  floor,) 

First  Dwarf:  Oh,  brothers,  see!  The  wicked 
queen  has  been  here  again. 


"Second  Dwarf:  Poor  Snowdrop !  Let  us  put 
her  on  the  bed.  {They  pick  her  up  and 
lay  her  on  the  hed.  They  fan  her^  riib  her 
ivrists^  etc.) 

First  Dicarf:  She  does  not  open  her  eves. 

Second  Dioarf :  I  fear  she's  dead  this  time. 

Third  Dwarf:  That  wicked^  wicked  queen! 

Fourth  Dwarf :  It's  no  use,  brothers,  she  is 
dead.  {All  the  dwarfs  kneel  on  the  floor  round 
the  hed  and  how  their  heads  in  their  hands.) 


Scene  IX 

IN  THE  DWARFS'  COTTAGE. 

Snoiudrop)  lies  on  a  hed  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
There  are  floicers  ahout  her.  The  little  dwarfs 
sit  ahout  the  hed. 

First  Dicarf:  How  fair  she  is! 

Second  Dwarf :   As  fair  as  she  was  good. 

Third  Dicarf :  It  is  hard  to  beheve  that  she 
is  dead. 

Fourth  Dwarf:  Her  cheeks  are  pink  as  roses. 

201 


Fifth  Dwarf:  Her  lips  are  red  as  coral. 
Sixth  Dwarf:  We  will  never  put  her  into  the 

cold  ground. 
Seventh  Dwarf:  No,  no !    She  is  too  beautiful. 
First  Dwarf:  But  who  is  this  stranger  coming  ? 

{All  of  the  dwarfs  look  out  of  the  open  door. 

A  young  prince  comes  in,) 
Prince:  Does   a   fair   young   maiden  named 

Snowdrop  dwell  here? 
First  Dwarf:  There  she  lies. 
Prince :  Oh !    How  beautiful  she  is  ! 
First  Divarf :  Beautiful  and  good! 
Prince :  But  is  she  dead  ? 

First  Dwarf:  Yes,  sad  to  say,  she  is.  The 

wicked  queen  at  last  has  killed  her. 
Prince :  Then  I  have  come  too  late.   I  hoped  to 

make  her  mine.    {Bends  over  her  to  kiss  her; 

as  he  does  so,  the  piece  of  poisoned  apple  falls 

from  her  lips  and  she  sits  up,) 
Snowdrop:  Why,  where  am  I?   What  is  the 

matter?  Who  are  you? 

202 


Prince:  I  am  Prince  Roland,  and  I  want  you 
for  my  princess.  Will  you  come  with  me 
to  my  father's  palace  and  be  my  lovely 
bride  ? 

Snoivdrop :  {Looks  at  Tiim^  smiling)  Yes,  dear 
Prince,  I  will  go  with  you,  for  you  look 
kind  and  good. 

Prince :  Come,  then,  dear  Snowdrop,  let  us  go 
at  once. 

Snowdrop  {Getting  cloivn  from  the  bed)  Thank 
you,  kind  dwarfs.  I  never  shall  forget 
you.  You  will  come  to  see  me,  will  you 
not? 

Prince:  They  shall  all  come  to  the  wedding. 
Snowdrop  dear,  and  we  shall  see  them 
many  times,  I  know.  We  never  shall 
forget  such  good,  kind  friends. 

Dwarfs:  Good-bye,  dear  Snowdrop,  fairest  in 
the  land.  t.  tt 

R.  H.  Bowles. 


203 


WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

'Tis  splendid  to  live  so  grandly/ 

That  long  after  you  are  gone, 
The  things  you  did  are  remembered^ 

And  recounted  under  the  sun ; 
To  live  so  bravely  and  purely. 

That  a  nation  stops  on  its  way, 
And  once  a  year,  with  banner  and  drum, 

Keeps  its  thoughts  of  your  natal  day. 

'Tis  splendid  to  have  a  record 

So  white  and  free  from  stain, 
That,  held  to  the  light,  it  shows  no  blot, 

Though  tested  and  tried  amain ; 
That  age  to  age  forever 

Repeats  its  story  of  love, 
And  your  birthday  lives  in  a  nation's  heart 

All  other  days  above. 


And  this  is  Washington's  glory, 

A  steadfast  soul  and  true^ 
Who  stood  for  his  country's  honor 

When  his  country's  days  were  few; 
And  now,  when  its  days  are  many, 

And  its  flag  of  stars  is  flung 
To  the  breeze  in  defiant  challenge, 

His  name  is  on  every  tongue. 

Yes,  it's  splendid  to  live  so  bravely. 

To  be  so  great  and  strong, 
That  your  memory  is  ever  a  tocsin 

To  rally  the  foes  of  the  wrong ; 
To  live  so  proudly  and  purely. 

That  your  people  pause  in  their  way. 
And  year  by  year,  with  banner  and  drum^ 

Keep  the  thoughts  of  your  natal  day. 

Margaret  E.  Sangsteb. 


205 


THE  BOY  SURYEYOK 

The  boy  surveyor  that  I  am  going  to  tell 
you  about  was  born  in  Yirginia,  in  an  old- 
fashioned  farm  house  near  the  Potomac  River. 
He  was  born  on  February  22^  1732,  so  I  know 
you  will  guess  his  name.  He  became  a  great 
man  in  after  years,  but  when  he  was  a  boy 
he  was  much  like  other  boys. 

George  Washington,  for  that  was  the  boy's 
name,  did  not  have  such  chances  to  go  to 
school  as  boys  have  now-a-days.  The  schoo] 
houses  were  small  and  rudely  built,  and  there 
were  not  so  many  beautiful  school  books  as 
there  are  now. 

But  George  soon  learned  to  read  and  write 

206 


and  to  do  simple  problems  in  arithmetic.  He 
became  a  very  good  penman,  but  he  was  never 
a  good  speller. 

Some  of  his  copy-books  and  books  of 
exercises  still  exist,  and  from  them  we  can 
learn  some  of  the  ways  he  spent  his  time  in 
school.  He  used  to  write  down  in  these  books 
rules  or  maxims  to  help  him  to  behave  prop- 
erly. Among  them  are  the  following : 

''Speak  not  evil  of  the  absent,  for  it  is 
unjust." 

"  Undertake  not  what  you  cannot  perform, 
but  be  careful  to  keep  your  promise." 

"When  a  man  does  all  he  can,  though  it 
succeeds  not  well,  blame  not  him  that  did  it." 

''  Every  action  in  company  ought  to  be  some 
sign  of  respect  to  those  present." 

George  was  a  strong  and  active  boy,  and 
a  great  leader  among  his  friends.  He  was  good 
at  running,  jumping,  wrestling,  and  throwing 
quoits,  and  he  was  a  daring  horseman.   It  is 

207 


said  that  he  once  rode  an  unbroken  colt  that 
belonged  to  his  mother^  and  held  on  although 
the  animal  tried  hard  to  throw  him  off.  The 
colt  became  exhausted  from  his  attempts  to 
throw  George  from  his  back^  and  at  length 
dropped  dead. 

One  of  George's  favorite  sports  was  play- 
ing soldiers.  He  would  form  his  playmates 
into  companies^  and  march  them  about  and 
drill  them. 

208 


But  George  was  not  merely  a  strong  and 
active  boy.  He  was  also  honest  and  truthful. 
The  boys  trusted  him,  and  often  came  to  him 
to  ask  him  to  settle  their  disputes.  George 
had  his  faults,  however.  He  had  a  quick  tem- 
per that  he  often  found  hard  to  control. 

From  his  love  of  out-door  life,  George 
became  interested  in  surveying,  or  measuring 
land.  He  studied  hard,  and  soon  learned  to 
be  a  good  surveyor. 

When  George  was  eleven  years  old  his 
father  died.  After  that  he  lived  for  several 
years  with  his  brother  Augustine. 

When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he  went 
to  live  with  his  brother  Lawrence  at  Mount 
Yernon.  Here  he  met  Lord  Fairfax,  an  elderly 
English  gentleman,  who  owned  a  large  planta- 
tion not  far  from  his  brother's  place.  The 
Englishman  at  once  took  a  liking  to  the  tall, 
awkward  young  man,  and  soon  they  became 
firm  friends. 

209 


They  rode  and  hunted  through  the  woods, 
and  they  went  on  long  surveying  trips  together. 
Lord  Fairfax  had  read  a  great  deal,  and  had 
travelled  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  From 
his  talk  George  learned  much  about  books 
and  far  away  places  that  he  had  never  seen. 

Now  it  happened  that  Lord  Fairfax  owned 
a  great  tract  of  wild  land  in  Virginia.  As  he 
wished  to  know  more  about  this  land,  he  hired 
George  to  visit  it  and  report  to  him  about  it. 
With  him  was  to  go  a  young  relative  of  Lord 
Fairfax,  a  few  years  older  than  George. 

They  set  out  together  on  horseback,  carrying 
guns,  surveying  instruments,  and  a  few  supplies. 
They  planned  to  kill  game  for  most  of  their 
food.  It  was  a  hard,  rough  trip  for  the  two 
young  men.  Sometimes  they  slept  in  the  open 
air,  and  sometimes  in  a  tent  or  a  rough  camp. 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend  written  at  this  time, 
George  says :  "  I  have  not  slept  above  three 
or  four  nights  in  a  bed,  but,  after  walking  a 

210 


good  deal  all  day,  I  have  lain  down  before 
the  fire  upon  a  little  hay,  straw,  fodder,  or  a 
bear-skin,  with  man,  wife,  and  children,  like 
dogs  and  cats,  and  happy  is  he  who  gets  the 
berth  nearest  the  fire/' 

Another  time  he  wrote:  ''We  camped  in 
the  woods,  and  after  we  had  pitched  our  tent, 
and  made  a  large  fire,  we  pulled  out  our 
knapsacks  to  recruit  ourselves.    Everyone  was 

211 


his  own  cook.  Our  spits  were  forked  sticks ; 
our  plates  were  large  chips/' 

Once  they  met  a  band  of  Indians.  After 
supper  all  gathered  about  a  big  fire,  and  the 
painted  savages  danced  a  wild  war  dance.  As 
they  jumped  about,  shouting  and  yelling,  one 
of  the  band  beat  time  on  a  rude  drum,  made 
by  fastening  a  piece  of  deerskin  over  a  pot 
filled  with  water. 

It  was  a  hard  trip,  but  a  very  interesting 
and  valuable  one  for  the  young  men.  George 
was  well  paid,  and — what  was  more  important — 
he  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  woods  and 
about  the  Indians. 

When  he  came  back  with  his  report.  Lord 
,  Fairfax  had  him  appointed  public  surveyor. 
For  the  next  three  years  George  spent  most 
of  his  time  ranging  the  woods  of  Yirginia. 
He  learned  to  be  fearless,  patient,  and  self- 
reliant  :  qualities  that  were  to  be  of  the  greatest 
use  to  him  in  after  life. 

212 


THE  MAGIC  HOEX 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  farmer  who 
had  three  sons.  They  were  all  rather  idle 
fellows,  and  helped  their  father  very  little.  One 
day  the  oldest  son,  who  was  named  Peter, 
heard  that  the  king  wanted  somebody  to  take 
care  of  his  rabbits.  So  he  told  his  father  that 
he  would  like  to  go  to  the  king's  palace  and 
ask  for  the  place. 

''Yery  well."  said  the  farmer,  ''you  may 
go.  But  remember  that  if  you  are  to  please 
the  king  you  must  be  quick  and  careful  and 
attend  to  vour  work." 

213 


The  young  man  felt  sure  that  he  could 
please  the  king^  so  he  set  out  for  the  palace. 
He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  heard  some  one 
calling  for  help.  Looking  around^  he  saw  a 
deep  pit,  and  away  down  at  the  bottom  of  it 
was  an  old  woman. 

Help  me  out ! she  called.  "  I  have  been 
in  this  pit  for  a  year,  and  I  am  nearly  starved 
to  death." 

What ! "  cried  Peter,  You  have  been 
there  a  whole  year  without  anything  to  eat? 
You  must  be  a  witch;  I  won't  help  you  ouf 
And  off  he  went. 

After  a  while,  Peter  arrived  at  the  king's 
palace,  and  was  soon  hired  to  take  care  of  the 
rabbits.  He  was  to  be  well  paid  for  his  work, 
and  if  none  of  the  rabbits  got  away,  he  was 
to  have  the  princess  for  his  wife.  The  young 
man  felt  very  well  pleased.  "I  shall  marry 
the  princess,  and  be  living  in  a  palace  before 
long,"  said  he  to  himself 

214 


The  next  day  he  drove  the  rabbits  out  into 
the  field  to  feed.  At  first  all  went  well,  but 
after  a  while  the  rabbits  got  into  the  woods, 
and  when  it  was  time  to  drive  them  home  not 
one  of  them  could  be  seen.  The  lad  looked 
for  them  everywhere;  but  could  not  find  one 
of  them. 

This  was  a  pretty  state  of  things  !  Still  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  back  to  the  palace 
without  the  rabbits.    So  back  he  went. 

Now,  when  the  king  learned  that  all  of  his 
rabbits  had  run  away,  he  was  very  angry. 
''You're  a  laz}',  good-for-nothing  fellow/'  said 
he.  ''  I  have  no  more  use  for  you."  So  Peter 
went  sadly  away. 

Now,  the  king  was  very  fond  of  rabbits,  so 
it  was  not  long  before  he  got  a  new  lot.  Then 
he  let  it  be  known  that  he  needed  somebody 
to  take  care  of  them.  This  time  the  farmer's 
second  son,  John,  heard  about  the  matter,  and 
wanted  to  try  his  luck.    So  his  father  said  he 

215 


could  go,  and  the  young  man  set  out  for  the 
king's  palace. 

He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  came  to  the 
pit  with  the  old  woman  in  it.  She  asked  him 
to  help  her  out,  as  she  had  asked  the  oldest 
brother,  but  he  said  he  would  not,  and  went 
on  to  the  king's  palace. 

Now,  when  John  got  there  he  was  hired 

216 


to  take  care  of  the  king's  rabbits,  just  as  his 
older  brother  had  been.  The  next  day  he  drove 
the  rabbits  out  to  feed.  At  first  all  went  well. 
Then,  after  a  while,  the  rabbits  all  ran  off  into 
'  the  woods,  and  the  lad  could  not  find  one  of 
"them.  He  looked  and  looked  and  looked,  but 
he  could  not  find  one  of  them.  So  he  had 
to  go  back  to  the  palace  without  them,  and 
the  king  sent  him  away,  just  as  he  had  sent 
away  his  older  brother. 

Again  the  king  got  some  more  rabbits,  to 
take  the  place  of  those  that  had  been  lost. 
And  again  he  sent  out  word  far  and  near  that 
he  wanted  somebody  to  take  care  of  them. 

This  time  the  youngest  son,  who  was  named 
Philip,  heard  about  the  matter,  and  wanted  to 
try  his  luck. 

''WelV  said  his  father,  "you  may  try  it  if 
you  want  to,  but  I  don't  believe  it  will  be  any 
use.  Your  brothers  tried  and  failed,  and  I 
am  afraid  you  will  fail  too." 

217 


But  Philip  made  up  his  mind  to  try  for  the 
place,  so  he  packed  his  bag,  and  set  out  for 
the  king's  palace.  He  had  not  gone  far  when 
he  heard  some  one  calling,  and  when  he  looked 
around  he  saw  in  the  pit  the  same  old  woman 
that  his  brothers  had  seen  before. 

''Why,  how  do  you  do!''  said  he.  ''What 
can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Help  me  out  of  this  hole,"  said  she. 

Now,  Philip  was  a  kind,  good-natured  fellow, 
so  he  gladly  helped  the  old  woman  out  of  the 
hole.  Then,  as  he  felt  hungry,  he  sat  down 
to  eat  some  lunch.  "Won't  you  have  some- 
thing to  eat  too  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Indeed  I  will,"  said  she,  "for  I  haven't 
eaten  anything  for  a  very  long  time." 

So  down  they  sat  on  the  ground  together, 
and  began  to  eat.  Now,  the  old  woman  ate 
so  fast  that  she  got  most  of  the  food.  But 
Philip  didn't  care,  and  he  let  her  eat  all  she 
wanted. 

218 


When  they  had  flnishedj  the  old  woman 
gave  Phihp  a  horn  and  said :  If  you  blow 
into  the  large  end  of  the  horn,  anything  you 
wish  for  will  come  to  you ;  but  if  you  blow 
into  the  small  end,  anything  you  wish  to  go 
away  from  you  will  fly  off.  If  you  should 
ever  lose  the  horn,  you  have  only  to  wish  for 
it,  and  it  will  come  back  to  you.'^ 

"Thank  you,  grandmother,''  said  the  young 
man.      This  is  a  horn  worth  having.'' 

219 


Philip  now  went  on  to  the  king's  palace. 
He  reached  there  before  long,  and  was  soon 
hired  to  take  care  of  the  rabbits.  The  next 
morning  he  drove  them  out  into  the  field  to 
feed.  At  first  all  went  well.  The  rabbits  stayed 
near  and  gave  no  trouble ;  but  after  a  while 
they  began  to  run  off  into  the  woods. 

"  Oh !  "  cried  the  lad,  you  want  to  go  away, 
do  you?  Very  well,  go  along,  then."  And 
he  blew  into  the  small  end  of  the  horn. 

220 


In  an  instant,  away  went  the  rabbits  in  all 
directions.  Then  the  young  man  found  a  nice 
shady  spot,  and  lay  down  to  take  a  nap. 
When  he  awoke  it  was  time  to  go  home,  so 
he  took  up  his  horn,  and  blew  into  the  large 
end  of  it.  At  once  all  the  rabbits  came  run- 
ning about  him,  and  back  he  went  with  them 
to  the  king's  palace. 

When  he  got  there,  the  king  and  the 
queen  and  the  princess  all  came  out  and 
looked  at  the  rabbits.  The  king  counted  them 
carefully  to  make  sure  that  none  were  missing. 
When  he  found  they  were  all  there  he  was 
surprised.  The  princess  looked  hard  at  Philip. 
''He  is  a  good-looking  young  man.''  she  said 
to  herself  ''  It  is  too  bad  he  is  not  of  noble 
birth." 

The  next  day  Philip  took  the  rabbits  out 
again,  and  while  they  were  feeding  he  again 
lay  down  to  take  a  nap. 

Now,  the  king  wondered  how  the  lad  had 

221 


managed  to  take  such  good  care  of  the  rab- 
bits. So  he  sent  a  servant  out  to  watch  him. 
The  servant  hid  nearby,  and  waited  till  he 
saw  the  boy  blow  into  the  big  end  of  the 
horn,  and  call  all  the  rabbits  around  him. 
Then  he  ran  back  to  the  palace,  and  told  the 
king  what  he  had  seen.  The  king  was  much 
surprised,  and  told  the  queen  and  the  princess. 

''We  must  get  the  horn  away  from  him," 
said  the  princess,  or  I  shall  have  to  marry 
him.  To-morrow  I  will  go  out  to  the  woods, 
and  while  he  is  asleep  I  will  take  his  horn 
away." 

So  the  next  day  the  princess  went  to  the 
woods,  and  while  Philip  was  asleep  she  took 
his  horn,  and  started  to  go  back  to  the  palace. 

When  Philip  awoke,  behold,  his  horn  was 
gone !  At  first  he  was  startled.  How  was  he 
to  get  his  rabbits  together  again?  Then  he 
remembered  what  the  old  woman  had  said, 
and  wished  for  the  horn  to  come  back. 

222 


The  princess  was  just  getting  back  to  the 
palace  with  the  horn,  when  Phihp  wished  for 
it.  All  at  once  she  felt  it  slip  out  of  her 
hand,  and  though  she  looked  everwhere  she 
could  not  find  it.  The  horn  went  right  back 
to  Philip.  He  blew  into  the  large  end,  and 
all  the  rabbits  came  running  about  him.  Then 
he  drove  them  all  back  to  the  king's  palace. 

The  next  day  the  queen  said  she  would  go 
to  the  woods  and  get  the  horn.  She  found 
Philip  asleep,  just  as  the  princess  had  found 
him  the  day  before,  and  taking  the  horn 
started  to  go  back  to  the  palace.  She  held  it 
very  tight,  but  just  as  she  was  going  into  the 

223 


palace  the  horn  shpped  out  of  her  hand.  That 
night  the  youngest  son  drove  the  rabbits  back 
to  the  palace  as  usual,  and  not  one  was 
missing. 

"I  shall  have  to  attend  to  this  matter 
myself/'  said  the  king.  So  the  next  day,  while 
Philip  was  asleep  in  the  wood,  the  king  came 
and  took  away  his  horn.  This  time,  to  make 
the  matter  surer,  the  king  put  the  horn  into 
a  bag.  When  he  got  back  to  the  palace,  he 
opened  the  bag  to  show  the  horn  to  the  queen 
and  the  princess,  and,  behold,  the  bag  was 
empty ! 

That  night  when  Philip  got  back  to  the 
palace  with  the  rabbits,  he  was  ordered  before 
the  king. 

What  kind  of  horn  is  that  you  have  ? 
asked  the  king.    "It  must  be  a  very  strange 
one,  or  you  could  not  take  care  of  the  rabbits 
without  losing  any  of  them." 

"It  was  given  to  me  by  an  old  woman,'' 

224 


said  Philip.  If  I  blow  into  one  end  it  does 
one  thing,  and  if  I  blow  into  the  other  end 
it  does  just  the  opposite.'' 

That  is  very  interesting,"  said  the  king. 
Please  show  us  how  it  works." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  you  will  like  it  or 
not,"  said  Philip. 

"Never  mind  about  that,"  said  the  king. 
"  Show  us  how  it  works." 

''Yery  well,  then,"  said  Philip.  ''I  wish 
you  to  fly  away/'  and  he  blew  into  the  small 

225 


end  of  the  horn.  Whist!  Away  went  the 
king,  the  queen,  and  the  princess  in  different 
directions. 

"  Help !  Help ! "  cried  the  king,  as  he 
n  hirled  away  through  the  air. 

Then  Philip  turned  the  horn,  and  blew  into 
the  other  end.  In  an  instant,  back  they  all 
came. 

The  king  was  very  angry.  ''What  do  you 
mean  by  treating  me  that  way  ? he  cried. 
"I  will  have  your  head  cut  off." 

Philip  raised  the  horn  to  blow  into  it  again. 
"  Here,  here !  Stop  that ! cried  the  king.  ''  I 
have  had  enough  of  that  horn.  I  am  too  old 
to  go  flying  about  the  country,  as  I  did  just 
now.  You  shall  have  my  daughter  and  half 
'.  the  kingdom,  but  don't  ever  blow  that  horn 
near  me  again." 

So  Philip  got  the  princess  and  half  of  the 
kingdom,  and  lived  happily  ever  afterwards. 


226 


LIXES  WEITTEX  IN  MAECH 

The  cock  is  crowing, 

The  stream  is  flowing^ 

The  small  birds  twitter, 

The  lake  doth  glitter, 
The  green  field  sleeps  in  the  sun ; 

The  oldest  and  youngest 

Are  at  work  with  the  strongest ; 

The  cattle  are  grazing. 

Their  heads  never  raising; 
There  are  forty  feeding  like  one. 

Like  an  army  defeated 
The  snow  hath  retreated^ 

227 


And  now  doth  fare  ill 
On  the  top  of  the  bare  hill; 
The  ploughboy  is  whooping — anon — anon : 
There's  joy  in  the  mountains; 
There's  life  in  the  fountains ; 
Small  clouds  are  sailing, 
Blue  sky  prevailing ; 


The  rain  is  over  and  gone! 

William  Wordsworth. 


228 


OUR  FRIEND  MR.  MUSKRAT 
We  were  off  for  the  trout-pool.  I  sat  at  one 
end  of  the  canoe  and  paddled,  while  Donald, 
sat  at  the  other,  with  his  eyes  wide  open  for 
any  unusual  sight.  The  sun  had  not  been  up 
long,  and  as  we  passed  through  the  meadows 
the  air  was  still  cool  and  sweet  with  the  smell 
of  wet  grass  and  leaves.  Wisps  of  mist  curled 
up  'from  the  river.  Soon  we  came  to  a  belt 
of  woods,  and  here  the  air  was  spicy  with 
the  fragrance  of  fir  balsam  and  cedar. 

Presently  we  swung  round  a  sharp  bend  in 
the  river,  and  all  at  once  Donald  held  up  a 
warning  hand.  I  stopped  paddling  and  looked 
ahead.  Thirty  yards  or  so  in  front  of  us, 
there  was  something  in  the  water.  At  first 
sight  it  looked  like  the  end  of  a  small  sunken 
log  or  a  stump ;  but  when  I  looked  at  it  more 
closely  I  could  see  that  it  was  moving,  and 

229 


that  little  ripples  flowed  back  from  it  on 
both  sides. 

^^What  is  it?^^  asked  Donald. 

"  Muskrat/'  said  I  softly ;  it's  going  ashore 
over  there." 

Sure  enough.  While  we  watched,  it  reached 
the  bank,  and  disappeared  in  a  hole  just  at  the 
edge  of  the  water.  We  got  a  glimpse  of  a 
thick,  fat  body  about  a  foot  long,  covered  with 
dark-brown  hair,  and  a  long,  bare  rat  tail,  and 
then  it  was  gone. 

What  a  wet,  uncomfortable  house  he  must 
have ! said  Donald. 

"Oh,  no,  indeed!  His  house  is  dry  and 
warm,  I'm  sure,''  said  1.  "If  you  dug  into 
his  hole  you  would  find  that  it  slopes  upward 
from  the  water  for  a  short  distance,  and  then 
at  the  end  of  a  narrow  passage  widens  into 
quite  a  big  room.  There  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Musk- 
rat  and  their  babies  live  warm  and  dry,  well 
above  the  reach  of  the  highest  spring  floods." 

230 


''But  why  is  the  muskrat's  front  door 
under  water  ? 

I  laughed.  "  Oh,  that  is  because  he  is  less 
likely  to  be  disturbed  by  callers  that  he 
doesn't  care  to  see.  They  might  get  inside 
and  kill  his  little  ones." 

"But  how  does  he  get  out  in  winter  time 
when  the  ice  is  frozen  ? 

"  He  comes  out  under  the  ice  and  feeds 
on  reeds  and  roots  whenever  he  wants  to. 
He  doesn't  mind  the  water,  for  his  thick  fur 
sheds  it  and  keeps  him  always  warm  and  dry.'' 

"I  should  like  to  see  one  near  to/'  said 
Donald. 

''You  would  find  that  he  looks  much  like 
a  big  rat.    He  has  soft,  thick  brown  fur  and 
a  long,  rather  flat,  scaly  tail,  and  he  has  webbed  ) 
feet  like  a  duck,  to  help  him  to  swim  easily 
He  is  a  harmless  little  animal." 

"  But  why  is  he  called  a  musla-at  ?  " 
Because  of  his  musky  odor.    I  will  paddle 

231 


over  to  his  hole,  and  then  I  think  you  will 
understand  how  he  has  got  his  name." 

I  paddled  over  to  the  bank  just  beside 
the  muskrat's  hole.  The  mouth  of  the  hole 
was  about  six  inches  wide,  and  was  just  under 
the  water.  On  the  muddy  shore,  and  on  the 
bottom  of  the  river  near  the  hole,  were  many 
half  en  ten  reeds  and  roots,  which  the  muskrat 

;h:    family  had  brought  home  at  various 

"  Not  very  tidy,  is  he  ?  said  Donald.  When 
he  is  through  eating  he  just  throws  the  bones 
out  at  his  front  door." 

"  No,"  said  I,  "  he  doesn't  care  much  for 

232 


looks.  What  he  is  thinking  of  mostly  is  some- 
thing to  eat.  Xow/'  I  continued,  ''just  sniff  a 
few  times,  and  tell  me  if  you  understand  how 
the  muskrat  has  got  his  name." 

There  was  a  very  distinct  musky  odor  in 
the  air  that  it  was  impossible  to  mistake  for 
anything  else. 

''  Yes/'  said  Donald,  "  I  understand.  It  cer- 
tainly smells  like  musk  here." 

We  paddled  up  the  river  to  the  trout-pool, 
and  two  hours  later,  on  our  way  back,  again 
neared  the  muskrat's  hole. 

"Let's  go  quietly  now,  and  perhaps  we 
may  see  Mr.  Muskrat  or  some  member  of 
his  family  again,"  said  1. 

So  I  stopped  paddling,  and  let  the  canoe 
drift  down  stream  with  the  current,  scivins:  mv 
paddle  a  twist  now  and  then  to  keep  the 
canoe  in  the  channel. 

Presently  we  came  in  sight  of  the  musk- 
rat's  hole     For  a  moment,  though  I  looked 

233 


closely,  I  could  see  nothing.  Then  I  could 
make  out  the  round,  fat  body  of  the  muskrat, 
as  he  sat  huddled  up  on  the  muddy  bank 
near  his  hole.  As  I  watched  him  I  could  sec 
that  he  moved  slightly,  and  then  I  made  out 
that  he  was  gnawing  a  reed.  We  kept  so 
still,  and  he  was  so  busy  with  his  lunch  that 
we  got  quite  near  before  he  saw  us. 

Then,  all  at  once,  there  was  a  quick  flash 
of  brown,  a  plop  in  the  water,  and  the  musk- 
rat  had  disappeared  into  his  hole. 

"  Good-bye,  Mr.  Muskrat ! "  cried  Donald. 
''Well  call  again  some  day." 

R.  H.  Bowles. 


234 


THE  SOXG  OF  THE  THRUSH 

There's  a  merry  brown  thrush  sitting  up  in 
the  tree ; 

He's  singing  to  me  !   He's  singing  to  me !  " 
And  what  does  he  say,  httle  girl,  httle  boy  ? 
''Oh,  the  world's  running  over  with  joy! 

Don't  you  hear  ?    Don't  you  see  ? 

Hush!    Look!    In  my  tree, 
I'm  as  happy  as  happy  can  be ! " 

And  the  brown  thrush   keeps   singing,  ''A 

nest  do  you  see. 
And  five  eggs  hid  by  me  in  the  juniper  tree? 
Don't   meddle !     Don't    touch !     Little  girl, 

little  boy. 

Or  the  world  will  lose  some  of  its  joy! 

Now  I'm  glad !    Now  I'm  free  ! 

And  I  always  shall  be, 
If  you  never  bring  sorrow  to  me/' 

235 


So  the  merry  brown  thrush  sings  away  in 
the  tree, 

To  you  and  to  me,  to  you  and  to  me; 

And  he  sings  all  the  day,  little  girl,  little  boy, 

^'Oh,  the  world's  running  over  with  joy; 

But  long  it  won't  be, 

Don't  you  know?    Don't  you  see? 
Unless  we  are  as  good  as  can  be  ?  " 

Lucy  Larcom. 

236 


THREE  ORPHANS 

One  afternoon,  a  little  before  sunset,  Louis 
Bradford  looked  up  from  his  book,  and  saw 
a  little  brown  head  pop  out  from  under  the 
corner  of  the  carriage  house. 

At  first  he  thought  it  was  a  rat  that  he 
had  seen.  For  at  breakfast  he  had  heard  his 
father  say  that  rats  had  been  getting  into  the 
grain.  But  he  kept  very  still,  and  in  a  little 
while  the  head  poked  out  farther.  Then  the 
whole  body  followed,  and  he  saw  that  the 
animal  was  much  larger  than  a  rat.  In  fact, 
it  was  as  large  as  a  full-grown  cat  or  a  small 
dog.  It  had  a  round,  fat  body,  covered  with 
grayish-brown  hair,  and  a  broad  head,  with 
small  ears  that  hardly  showed  at  all. 

With  little  runs  of  a  foot  or  two  at  a 
time,  the  creature  ventured  farther  and  farther 
away  from  the  corner  of  the  carriage  house. 

237 


Then^  to  Louis's  astonishment^  it  stood  up  on 
its  hind  quarters,  with  its  forepaws  hanging 
down  in  front.  There  it  stood  and  looked  all 
about,  to  see  whether  it  was  safe  to  go  any 
farther.  But  just  then,  in  his  eagerness  to  see, 
Louis  leaned  too  far  forward,  and  his  book 
slipped  to  the  floor  of  the  piazza  with  a  loud 
slam.  At  that  the  strange  animal  flashed 
back  out  of  sight  into  his  hole.  It  moved  so 
quickly  that  it  looked  like  a  mere  brown  streak. 

When  Louis  told  the  gardener  what  he 
had  seen,  the  old  man  laughed.  "It's  only 
a  woodchuck,  I  guess/'  said  he.  ''You  will 
see  him  again  before  long.''  But,  although 
Louis  watched  for  several  days,  he  saw  noth- 
ing more  of  the  brown  head  or  the  fat, 
round  body. 

One  morning  he  awoke  very  early,  and 
looking  out  of  his  window  saw  the  woodchuck 
again.  He  was  feeding  in  plain  sight  on  the 
grass  plot  behind  the  house. 

238 


In  the  corner  stood  the  httle  rifle  that 
had  come  to  Louis's  older  brother  as  a 
Christmas  present,  and  on  a  shelf  near  by 
stood  the  box  of  cartridges.  Louis  had  been 
allowed  to  use  the  rifle  when  he  was  with 
his  brother,  but  had  never  tried  it  alone. 
Now,  he  thought,  his  chance  had  come. 

Very  quietly  he  slipped  over  to  the  corner, 
took  down  the  box  of  cartridges,  and  slipped 
one  of  them  into  the  rifle.  Then,  barefooted, 
he  tiptoed  down  stairs,  carefully  slid  the  bolt 
of  the  back  door,  and  stepped  out.  Stealing 
to  the  corner  of  the  house,  he  looked  around. 

239 


Yes,  the  woodchuck  was  still  there,  and  still 
feeding!    It  had  not  been  alarmed. 

Louis  raised  the  little  rifle  slowly,  rested 
the  barrel  against  the  corner  of  the  house, 
took  careful  aim,  and  pulled  the  trigger.  At 
the  report  he  saw  something  flop,  and  ran  to 
the  edge  of  the  grass  plot.  There  lay  the 
woodchuck,  still  now,  and  looking  up  at  Louis 
with  glazing  eyes,  as  if  to  say :  Why  did  you 
do  it  ?  Have  I  ever  harmed  you  ? Then 
the  eyes  closed,  and  the  woodchuck  was 
dead. 

Louis  went  back  to  the  house.  Instead  of 
feeling  proud  of  what  he  had  done,  he  began 
to  ask  himself  why  he  had  done  it,  and  he 
could  not  find  any  good  answer. 

To  be  sure,  he  had  heard  the  gardener  say 
that  woodchucks  destroy  garden  vegetables ; 
but  when  he  looked,  after  breakfast,  he  could 
find  none  that  seemed  to  have  been  nibbled. 
On  going  to  see  what  the  little  animal  had 

240 


been  eatins:  when  he  shot  it,  he  found  only 
a  patch  of  clover. 


"  AYhat  about  the  vouno:  ones  ? "  asked  the  . 
gardener  that  noon. 

"  Young    ones  ? "    asked    Louis.  What 
young  ones  ? " 

''Why,  the  old  woodchuck  had  a  family. 

241 


There  are  three  young  ones  in  the  hole  under 
the  carriage  house.  I  saw  them  all  out  to- 
gether the  other  day/'  said  the  gardener. 

Will  they  starve  to  death  ? asked  Louis, 
much  troubled. 

"  I'm  afraid  they  will,  unless  somebody  kills 
them — or  feeds  them.'' 

Louis  asked  no  more  questions.   That  after- 

242 


noon  he  went  to  work  with  a  spade  at  the 
corner  of  the  carriage  house.  It  took  him 
until  nearly  night,  but  when  he  finished  he 
had  three  little  balls  of  fur,  with  frightened 
black  eyes  that  watched  every  move  he  made. 
The  gardener  found  an  old  squirrel  cage  in 
the  loft  and  into  it  they  put  the  three  orphans, 
with  a  big  bunch  of  fresh  clover,  and  in  the 
morning  the  clover  was  gone. 

That  is  the  way  Louis  got  his  little  family. 
Two  or  three  times  a  day  he  had  to  feed 
them,  but  he  felt  repaid  when  he  saw  how 
quickly  they  began  to  lose  their  fear  of  him. 
In  a  week  he  could  take  them  out  of  the 
cage,  and  handle  them  as  he  could  the  kitten. 
In  two  weeks  they  would  run  all  round  the 
yard,  picking  a  dainty  clover  leaf  here  and  a 
little  sorrel  there,  but  alwavs  readv  to  come 
running  when  he  whistled. 

Xever  did  any  other  family  of  orphan 
w  oodchucks  fare  so  well !  Besides  the  clover  and 

243 


the  sorrel,  there  were  tender  leaves  of  lettuce, 
and  the  juicy  pods  of  peas,  and  bits  of  carrot. 
All  of  the  family  grew  round  and  fat,  as  their 
mother  had  been,  and  all  of  them  followed 
Louis  about.  Whenever  the  cook  would  let 
them,  they  would  crawl  in  behind  the  stove 
and  cuddle  together  and  sleep. 

When  September  came,  and  it  was  time  for 
Louis  to  go  back  to  school,  the  three  orphans 
were  big  enough  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
So  they  were  taken  to  the  pasture,  and  set  down 
beside  a  beautiful  hole  in  the  ground. 

Since  then  Louis  has  never  taken  a  rifle 
in  his  hand,  without  first  stopping  to  ask  him- 
self what  he  was  going  to  do,  and  why. 

Edward  W.  Frentz  (adapted). 


244 


THE  APPLES  OF  YOUTH 

Away  up  above  the  earth,  beyond  the  River 
of  Mist,  lay  Asgarcl,  the  home  of  the  great 
gods  of  the  Xorthlaiid.  Here  hved  Odin,  the 
great  father  of  the  gods,  and  Freya,  his  wife. 
Here,  too,  hved  Thor,  the  great  thunder  god, 
with  his  wonderful  hammer,  and  Loki,  the 
mischief-maker,  and  many  others  that  I  can't 
tell  you  about  to-day. 

But  the  sweetest  and  fairest  of  all  that 
lived  in  Asgard  was  Idun,  the  young  goddess 
of  springtime  and  youth.  All  the  gods  loved 
her,  because  she  was  so  sweet  and  good,  and 
they  watched  over  her  very  carefully  because 
of  her  magic  apples. 

245 


These  apples  Idun  kept  in  a  golden  casket, 
and  every  morning  she  brought  them  to  the 
table  of  the  gods,  so  that  those  who  wished 
might  taste  them.  They  were  very  wonderful 
^  apples.  A  taste  of  one  of  them  would  make  a 
tired  person  feel  fresh  and  strong  again,  and  an 
old  person  young  once  more.  It  is  no  won- 
der that  the  gods  were  anxious  that  nothing 
should  ever  happen  to  these  apples,  and  it  is 
no  wonder  that  Idun  took  very  good  care  of 
them,  and  never  let  them  go  out  of  her  sight. 

Now,  the  fame  of  these  magic  apples  spread 
far  and  wide.  Almost  every  day  some  one  would 
come  to  Asgard  to  beg  for  a  taste  of  them. 
But  Idun  always  shook  her  head  and  said 
kindly:  ''I  am  very,  very  sorry,  but  nobody 
but  a  god  is  allowed  to  taste  my  magic  apples." 

Now,  away  outside  of  Asgard,  in  a  wild  and 
barren  region,  lived  the  great  storm  giant, 
Thiassi.  He  had  heard  of  the  magic  apples, 
and  wanted  very  much  to  get  them.    So  he 

246 


watched  and  waited  day  after  day,  and  tried 
hard  to  get  one  of  them.  But,  try  as  hard  as 
he  could,  he  didn't  get  so  much  as  a  look 
at  the  apples.  Idun  kept  such  careful  watch 
that  they  were  never  out  of  her  sight. 

Everything  would  have  been  all  right  if 
it  hadn't  been  for  Loki.  He  was  always  in 
some  mischief  or  other,  and  one  day  when 
he  was  out  hunting,  Tliiassi  got  hold  of  him. 
I  don't  need  to  tell  you  how,  for  that  is  a  long 
story.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  Thiassi  caught 
Loki,  and  wouldn't  let  him  go  until  he  had 
promised  to  get  Idun  and  her  apples  out  of 
Asgard. 

So  Loki  promised.  There  was  nothing  else 
to  do.  And  when  he  got  back  to  Asgard,  he 
began  to  plan  how  he  could  persuade  Idun 
to  leave  Asgard  with  her  magic  fruit. 

One  day  he  saw  Idun  playing  in  a  sunny 
grove  with  her  golden  apples,  so  he  went  up 
to  her  and  said :  "  Those  are  beautiful  apples 

247 


of  yours,  Idun,  but  I  know  where  there  are 
some  that  are  still  more  beautiful." 


Idun  stopped  playing  with  her  apples,  and 
'  looked  up  at  Loki  with  surprise.   "  Oh,  Loki ! 
Do  you  really  mean  it  ? she  asked. 

Of  course  I  do,"  said  the  mischievous 
Loki.  "I  know  where  there  is  a  tree  with 
golden  apples  that  are  much  bigger  and  finer 
than  yours." 

248 


''I  don't  believe  it,  Loki." 

"Well,  then,  come  and  see  for  yourself/' 
said  the  wicked  Loki. 

''Are  they  very  far  off?"  asked  Idun. 
Oh,  no/'  said  Loki,  "  not  very  far.  Come 
along  with  me,  and  I  will  show  them  to  you." 

So,  taking  her  casket  of  apples  under  her 
arm,  Idun  walked  along  with  Loki. 

They  walked  on  and  on,  Loki  all  the  while 
telling  Idun  that  the  tree  was  only  a  little 
farther  off.  Then,  all  at  once,  Idun  saw  that 
she  was  outside  of  Asgard,  and  began  to  feel 
a  little  frightened. 

"  Oh,  Loki,"  she  cried,"  where  am  I,  and  where 
are  the  golden  apples  that  you  told  me  of? " 

But  Loki  only  laughed.  And  just  then 
there  was  a  great  whirring  of  wings.  Thiassi, 
the  storm  giant,  in  the  form  of  an  eagle, 
swooped  down  through  the  air,  caught  Idun 
by  the  girdle,  and  carried  her  off,  casket  and 
all,  to  his  own  home. 

249 


Poor  Idun!  She  was  dreadfully  sorry  and 
dreadfully  frightened.  She  knew  that  she  ought 
not  to  have  listened  to  Loki.  She  knew  that 
she  ought  not  to  have  gone  out  of  Asgard. 
What  would  become  of  her  and  the  golden 
apples  ?  And  what  would  the  gods  of  Asgard 
do  without  them? 

Now  for  some  time  the  gods  did  not  miss 
Idun.  But  after  a  while  they  began  to  feel 
tired  and  old,  and  then  they  remembered  that 
they  had  not  seen  her  of  late.  So  they  looked 
for  her  everywhere,  but  they  did  not  find  her. 
Where  could  she  be? 

All  at  once  Odin,  the  great  Father  God, 
had  an  idea.  ''That  mischief-maker,  Loki,  is 
at  the  bottom  of  this,  you  may  be  sure,'^  said 
he,  and  he  sent  for  Loki.  At  first  Loki  said 
that  he  did  not  know  where  Idun  was ;  but, 
when  they  questioned  him  hard,  and  threat- 
ened him,  he  at  last  laughed  and  told  them 
the  whole  story. 

250 


Oh,  how  angry  the  gods  were !  Odin  threat- 
ened to  kill  Loki  unless  he  Q:ot  Idiin  and  her 
apples  back  into  Asgard.  Then  Loki  really 
became  frightened,  and  promised  to  go  and 
get  Idun  back,  if  Freva  would  lend  him  her 
falcon  plumes  as  a  disguise. 

Freya  was  very  willing  to  let  Loki  have 
her  falcon  plumes,  so  away  he  flew  to  Thi- 
assi's  castle. 

Meanwhile  Idun  had  been  very  lonely. 
Thiassi's  castle  was  up  on  the  top  of  a  bare  and 
stony  mountain,  by  the  side  of  the  sea.  And 
because  she  wouldn't  let  him  taste  the  golden 
apples  Thiassi  had  been  very  cross  to  Idun, 
and  shut  her  up  in  a  high  tower  all  by  her- 
self. She  was  looking  out  of  the  window  one 
day,  wishing  she  was  back  in  Asgard,  when 
suddenly  a  great  falcon  lit  on  the  window  sill. 

''Come  with  me,"  he  said.  "I  will  take 
you  back  to  Asgard.'' 

Now,  Idun  knew  it  was  Loki  by  his  big  red 

251 


eyes,  so  she  said :  "  Yes,  yes,  Loki,  I  want  to 
go  back,  but  how  am  I  to  get  out  of  this 
strong  tower?  And  if  I  get  out  how  are  you 
to  carry  me  and  my  casket  of  apples.  I  can- 
not leave  them  behind." 

But  Loki  had  thought  of  a  plan.  By  his 
magic  art  he  quickly  changed  Idun  into  a 
nut.  Then  he  took  the  nut  in  one  of  his 
talons  and  the  casket  in  another,  and  started 
to  fly  off  to  Asgard. 

Now,  when  Loki  came  to  the  castle,  Thiassi^ 
the  storm  giant,  had  been  off  fishing.  He 

252 


came  home  rather  earher  than  usual,  to  see 
if  he  couldn't  get  Idun  to  give  him  a  taste  of 
the  magic  apples,  and  when  he  found  she 
Tvas  gone  he  was  very  angry.  He  at  once 
changed  himself  into  an  eagle,  and  flew  out 
oyer  the  sea,  looking  eyer}^here  for  Idun. 

After  a  while,  he  saw,  away  in  the  dim  dis- 
tance, a  falcon  flying  towards  Asgard.  Look- 
ing more  closely,  he  saw  that  the  falcon  held 
in  his  talons  the  o:olden  casket,  or;leamino;  in 
the  sunlight.  Then  he  knew  that  the  falcon 
was  one  of  the  gods  in  disguise,  who  had 
come  to  rescue  Idun. 

I  will  catch  him  yet ! said  Thiassi,  and 
he  beat  the  air  with  his  great  wings,  and  flew 
after  Loki  with  the  speed  of  the  wind. 

The  falcon  flew  fast,  but  the  eagle  flew 
faster.  Loki  put  forth  all  his  strength,  but  in 
spite  of  all  his  efforts  the  storm  giant  gained 
on  him. 

Meanwhile,  some  one  in  Asgard  had  seen 

253 


Loki  coming  and  had  spread  the  news,  and 
all  of  the  gods  had  gone  up  on  the  walls  to 
watch  the  race.  Then  some  one  thought  of 
an  old  trick  to  catch  the  storm  god.  The 
gods  made  a  great  pile  of  shavings  and  sticks 
on  the  wall,  all  ready  to  light  at  the  right 
moment. 

This  was  hardly  done  when  Loki,  putting 
forth  all  his  strength,  flew  over  the  wall  into 
Asgard.  After  him  came  the  eagle  with  rush- 
ing wings.  Just  then  the  great  pile  of  shav- 
ings and  sticks  was  lighted.  Up  it  blazed! 
Poor  Thiassi,  his  eyes  blinded  with  smoke 
and  his  wings  singed  with  flame,  fell  to  the 
ground  and  was  put  to  death  by  the  gods. 

In  a  moment  Loki  and  Idun  took  their 
real  shapes,  and  all  was  peace  again  in  Asgard. 
Every  day  the  fair  Idun  played  with  her  golden 
apples,  and  every  morning  the  gods  tasted 
them  and  kept  ever  fresh  and  young. 


254, 


SPEING 

The  alder  by  the  river 

Shakes  out  her  powdery  curls ; 
The  willow  buds  in  silver 

For  little  boys  and  girls. 

The  little  birds  fly  over^ 

And,  oh,  how  sweet  they  sing ! 
To  tell  the  happy  children 

That  once  again  'tis  spring. 

The  gay  green  grass  comes  creeping 
So  soft  beneath  their  feet; 

The  frogs  begin  to  ripple 
A  music  clear  and  sweet. 

And  buttercups  are  coming, 

And  scarlet  columbine, 
And  in  the  sunny  meadows 

The  dandelions  shine. 

255 


And  just  as  many  daisies 

As  their  soft  hands  can  hold 

The  httle  ones  may  gather 
All  fair  in  white  and  gold. 

Here  blows  the  warm  red  clover, 
There  peeps  the  violet  blue ; 

O  happy  little  children ! 

God  made  them  all  for  you. 

Celia  Thaxtee. 

256 


HOW  ANDY  HELPED  TO  CAPTURE  THE 

REDCOATS 

Andy  Ramsay  lived  with  his  father  and 
mother  on  a  httle  farm  in  the  mountains  of 
South  Carohna.  As  his  parents  were  poor, 
Andy  had  to  help  them  in  every  way  that  he 
could.  He  drove  the  cows  to  the  pasture  in 
the  morning,  and  drove  them  back  to  the  barn 
at  night,  and  when  his  father  was  away  from 
home  Andy  often  milked  them.  He  sawed 
and  split  wood,  and  brought  it  into  the  house 
for  his  mother.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough, 
he  helped  with  the  ploughing  and  haying. 

Though  Andy's  father  and  mother  found  a 
great  deal  for  him  to  do,  he  had  plenty  of 
time  for  himself  He  loved  to  roam  through 
the  woods  with  an  old  flint-lock  gun,  hunting 
for  partridges  and  rabbits,  and  he  often  went 
fishing  in  the  neighboring  brooks. 

When  Andy  was  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
old,  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out. 

257 


The  British  captured  Charleston,  and  some- 
times their  raiding  parties  came  up  into  the 
mountains  as  far  as  Andy^s  home. 


One  day  a  British  officer  and  four  soldiers 
stopped  at  the  house,  noping  to  capture  Andy's 
father.  But  he  heard  them  coming,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping  to  the  woods  just  in  time. 
Angry  at  missing  the  ''rebel/'  as  they  called 
him,  the  soldiers  made  themselves  very  disa- 
greeable. They  tramped  about  the  house,  ask- 
ing for  things  to  eat  and  drink.  They  talked 
very  roughly,  and  boasted  loudly  of  what  they 
were  going  to  do  to  the  rebels  that  they  caught. 

258 


When  they  had  eaten  and  drunk  all  they 
wanted,  they  went  out  into  the  yard  and  began 
to  chase  the  chickens  and  ducks  about  and 
to  kill  them. 

Andy's  mother  begged  and  scolded,  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  The  soldiers  only  laughed  at 
her,  and  took  what  they  wanted.  After  a 
while,  they  went  away. 

They  had  been  gone  only  a  few  minutes, 
when  Horseshoe  Robinson,  a  daring  frontier 
soldier  and  scout,  rode  up  to  the  house. 

On  learning  that  the  Redcoats  had  just 
left,  he  immediately  began  to  plan  to  capture 
them.  While  he  was  talking  to  Mrs.  Ramsay 
it  began  to  rain. 

Ah !  "  said  he,  suddenly,  the  Redcoats 
will  make  for  the  nearest  shelter.  Isn't  there 
an  old  field  about  a  mile  down  the  road  ? 

"Yes,''  said  Mrs.  Ramsay,  ''and  an  old  log 
cabin  in  the  middle  of  it." 
Does  anyone  live  there  ?  " 

259 


"Nobody  has  lived  there  for  years/' 

"They  will  surely  go  in  there." 

"  Have  you  any  arms  in  the  house  ? 

"A  rifle  and  a  horse-pistol." 

"  Bring  them  to  me^  and  any  powder  and 
bullets  that  you  have." 

Mrs.  Ramsay  did  as  the  scout  had  asked. 

"  Now,  where  is  Andy  ?  "  he  asked. 

Mrs.  Ramsay  called  the  boy  in. 

"  Well,  Andy/'  said  the  scout,  how  would 
you  like  a  brush  with  the  Redcoats  that  stole 
your  mother's  chickens  ?  " 

That  would  be  fine !  "  said  Andy ;  only 
tell  me  what  to  do." 

Horseshoe  loaded  the  gun  and  the  pistol. 
Then,  taking  the  gun  himself,  he  gave  the 
pistol  to  Andy. 

We'll  capture  the  rascals,"  he  said  to  Mrs. 
Ramsay.  Then  he  mounted  his  horse,  and, 
taking  Andy  up  behind  him,  he  rode  off  down 
the  road. 

260 


When  they  reached  the  old  field,  they  saw 
smoke  rising  from  the  chimney  of  the  old 
house.  The  Redcoats  were  there.  Placing 
Andy  behind  a  tree,  Horseshoe  galloped  up 
to  the  door  of  the  cabin,  and,  leaping  from 

261 


his  horse,  went  inside.  The  five  soldiers  were 
gathered  round  a  fire  at  the  farther  end  of 
the  room^  and  their  guns  were  standing  in 
the  corner  by  the  door. 

Halt !  File  off  right  and  left  to  both  sides 
of  the  house  and  wait  orders/'  called  out  the 
scout  over  his  shoulder  to  imaginary  soldiers 
outside.  Now,  surrender,  all  of  you !  "  he  cried 
to  the  Redcoats,  at  the  same  time  raising  his 
musket  to  his  shoulder. 

Leap  to  your  arms ! called  the  oflQcer. 

Hold  on ! shouted  Horseshoe.  If  you 
stir  hand  or  foot  you'll  never  answer  the  roll- 
call  again." 

The  soldiers,  uncertain  what  to  do,  stood 
for  a  moment  eyeing  the  bold  scout. 

Just  at  this  moment  Andy  appeared  at  the 
door,  pistol  in  hand. 

''Shall  I  let  loose  on  them.  Captain?"  he 
asked. 

Come  on,  boys ! "  he  shouted,  turning  his 

262 


face  to  the  door,  as  if  calling  to  soldiers  out- 
side. 

"Keep  them  outside,  Andy,"  said  Horse- 
shoe.   Then  he  went  on  speaking  to  the  officer. 

"  It's  not  worth  while  fighting  five  to  one,  sir. 
You  may  as  well  surrender  to  my  little  army." 

At  this  moment  Andy  called  several  times, 
as  if  giving  orders  to  soldiers  outside  the  house. 

The  British  officer  was  deceived.  "  Lower 
your  rifle,"  said  he.  "  We  have  been  surprised 
by  greater  numbers  and  without  arms.  It  is 
my  duty  to  save  bloodshed.  If  you  will  prom- 
ise me  fair  treatment  as  prisoners  of  war,  I 
will  surrender." 

''Certainly,  sir,"  replied  the  scout.  ''You 
shall  be  treated  like  brave  men.  Eight  hand 
file,  advance  and  take  the  arms  of  the  prisoners." 

"Here,  Captain,"  said  Andy,  and  coming 
into  the  house  he  took  the  guns  that  stood 
in  the  corner  and  carried  them  out. 

"Now,  sir,"  said  Horseshoe  to  the  officer, 

263 


'''your  sword  and  any  other  arms  that  you 
have  about  you." 

The  officer  gave  up  his  sword  and  a  pair 
of  pocket-pistols. 

264 


Now/'  said  the  scout,  you  shall  be  treated 
like  men  who  have  done  their  duty.  You  will 
all  walk  out  and  form  yourselves  in  line  at 
the  door.    My  men  will  not  hurt  you." 

The  Redcoats  came  out  of  the  house  ex- 
pecting to  find  a  large  force  of  soldiers. 
Imagine  their  anger  and  disgust  when  they 
found  only  a  man,  a  boy,  and  a  horse.  For 
a  moment  they  seemed  about  to  turn  upon 
their  captors.  But  Horseshoe  at  once  raised 
his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  and  ordered  Andy  to 
shoot  the  first  man  who  moved. 

"  By  my  hand,"  said  he,  "  if  you  make  any 
trouble,  I  will  thin  your  numbers  with  your 
own  muskets." 

You  have  my  word,  sir,"  said  the  officer ; 
lead  on  !  " 

"  No ! "  said  the  scout,  "  you  shall  have  the 
post  of  honor  and  go  ahead  yourselves." 

So  down  the  road  they  went,  back  towards 
Andy's  home,  the  prisoners  marching  ahead, 

265 


Horseshoe  following,  musket  in  one  hand  and 
his  horse's  bridle  in  the  other,  and  Andy 
bringing  up  the  rear. 

As  they  entered  the  yard,  Mrs.  Eamsay 
came  to  the  door  in  astonishment. 

"Well,"  said  Horseshoe,  ''I  have  brought 
your  ducks  and  chickens  back  to  you,  and, 
what  is  better  still,  I  have  brought  home  a 
young  soldier  that  is  worth  his  weight  in 
gold.'' 

"  Heaven  bless  my  child !  My  brave  boy !  " 
cried  the  mother,  seizing  Andy  in  her  arms. 
Did  he  behave  well,  Mr.  Eobinson  ?  " 

"  A  little  bolder  than  I  wanted  him  to  be," 
said  Horseshoe,  ''but  he  did  mighty  well. 
These  are  his  prisoners.  Mistress  Ramsay.  I 
should  never  have  got  them  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  Andy.  Show  me  another  boy  in  America 
that  has  made  more  prisoners  than  there  were 
men  to  fight  with,  that's  all ! " 

John  P.  Kennedy  (adapted.) 

266 


THE  FLAG 

Your  flag  and  my  flag, 

And  how  it  flies  to-day 
In  your  land  and  my  land 

And  half  the  world  away. 
Eose  red  and  blood  red 

Its  stripes  forever  gleam, 
Soul  white  and  snow  white, 

The  good  forefathers'  dream. 
Sky  blue  and  true  blue, 

ATith  stars  to  gleam  aright, 
A  golden  guidon  in  the  day, 

A  shelter  through  the  night. 

Your  flag  and  my  flag, 

And  0,  how  much  it  holds — 
Your  land  and  my  land 

Secure  within  its  folds ; 
Your  heart  and  my  heart 

267 


Beat  quicker  at  the  sight, 
Sun  kissed  and  wind  tossed, 

The  red  and  blue  and  white. 
The  one  flag,  the  great  flag. 

The  flag  for  me  and  you — 
Glorified  all  else  beside. 

The  red  and  white  and  blue. 

W.  B.  Nesbit. 

268 


HOW  TEMPIE  SAVED  HER  HOESE 

Tempie  Hicks  lived  near  Morristown,  New 
Jersey.  Her  father  was  a  farmer,  and  kept 
horses  and  cows  and  pigs  and  other  farm 
animals,  so  it  was  quite  natural  that  Tempie 
should  come  to  love  horses.  She  had  learned 
to  ride  when  she  was  a  very  little  girl  indeed^ 
and  when  she  grew  older  her  father  gave  her 
a  horse  of  her  own.  What  a  happy  girl 
Tempie  was !  She  named  her  horse  Flora, 
and  soon  they  became  great  friends.  Many 
happy  hours  they  spent  together  on  the  coun- 
try roads. 

But  at  last  troubled  times  came.  General 
Washington's  army  camped  not  far  from  Mor- 
ristown,  and  after  a  time  some  British  soldiers 
came  too^  and  settled  down  not  far  away. 
Temple's  father  and  mother  warned  her  to  be 
careful,  and  not  to  go  far  from  home  alone, 
and  Tempie  tried  always  to  remember  what 

269 


they  said.  But  Flora's  heels  were  so  light 
that  sometimes  before  Tempie  knew  it  she 
had  ridden  a  long,  long  way  from  home. 

One  day  in  early  summer,  Tempie  was  rid- 
ing through  some  shady  woods  a  mile  or  so 
from  home.  Suddenly  some  British  soldiers 
stepped  into  the  road,  and  the  leader  took 
Flora  by  the  reins. 

''Don't  be  frightened,  little  girl,"  he  said. 
''No  one  is  going  to  hurt  you." 

Now  Tempie  was  really  very  much  fright- 
ened. Her  heart  had  jumped  into  her  mouth, 
when  the  soldiers  had  suddenly  stopped  her. 
But  she  tried  not  to  show  it,  and  though  her 
hands  trembled  a  little  her  voice  sounded 
very  brave  as  she  asked : 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  " 

"We  don't  want  you  at  all,"  said  the 
leader.    "  We  want  your  horse." 

Tempie  gave  a  little  cry.  "  Oh !  but  I  won't 
let  you  have  Flora." 

270 


I'm  sorry,  little  girl,  but  we  shall  have  to 
take  her/'  said  the  soldier.  "  The  captain's 
horse  died  yesterday,  and  we  must  get  another 
for  him,  so  get  right  down." 

Poor  Tempie !  For  an  instant  she  felt  like 
crying.  She  loved  her  beautiful  horse  very 
dearly,  and  she  could  not  bear  to  think  of 
giving  her  up  to  a  stranger.  But  there  seemed 
to  be  nothing  else  to  do. 

''Very  well,"  she  said  at  last,  and  moved 
in  her  saddle  as  if  she  were  about  to  get  off. 

Just  then  something  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  officer.  He  let  go  Flora's  bridle,  and 
looked  back  down  the  road. 

At  once  Tempie  gave  Flora  a  sharp  cut  with 
her  riding-whip.  The  horse  gave  a  great  leap, 
and  galloped  swiftly  down  the  road. 

The  soldiers  were  so  surprised  that  at  first 
they  stood  still,  staring  after  the  little  girl. 
Then  they  began  to  shout,  Come  back,  come 
back,"  and  to  run  after  her.    One  of  them 

271 


fired  his  gun  in  the  air,  hoping  that  she  would 
be  frightened  and  stop. 

But  Tempie  was  full  of  hope  now.  She 
meant  to  save  Flora  if  she  possibly  could ;  so 
down  the  road  she  went  at  a  mad  gallop.  ^ 
She  did  not  stop  till  she  drew  up  in  the  back'., 
yard  of  her  father's  house. 

Here  Tempie  jumped  quickly  from  her 
horse.  What  should  she  do  now?  She  felt 
sure  that  the  soldiers  would  follow  her,  and 

272 


search  everj^here  for  Flora.  It  would  never 
do  to  put  her  into  the  stable.  They  would 
find  her  there  at  once.  Perhaps  she  might 
hide  the  horse  in  the  woods.  But  to  get  there 
Tempie  would  have  to  ride  some  distance 
through  the  open  fields,  and  she  feared  that 
the  soldiers  would  see  her. 

All  at  once  Tempie  gave  a  little  laugh.  I 
have  it ! she  cried.  She  opened  the  kitchen 
door  and  led  Flora  inside.  Poor  Flora  did 
not  know  what  to  make  of  such  behavior. 
She  had  never  been  in  the  house  before,  and 
she  sniffed  and  snorted  as  she  looked  about. 
But  Tempie  patted  her  neck  and  rubbed  her 
nose.  On  into  the  dining-room  she  led  her 
surprised  horse ;  and  then  into  the  parlor. 

Behind  the  parlor  there  was  a  small  bed- 
room that  was  not  often  used.  Into  this  bed- 
room Tempie  led  Flora,  and  tied  her  to  the 
post  of  the  bed.  Then  running  to  the  barn 
she  brought  in  two  or  three  armfuls  of  hay, 

273 


to  put  on  the  floor  under  Flora's  feet.  Then 
she  closed  and  locked  the  bedroom  door. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  soldiers  came  run- 
ning up  to  the  house.  The  officer  was  very 
hot  and  very  angry.  ''You  little  rebel/'  he 
cried^  as  soon  as  he  saw  Tempie.  "You 
played  me  a  pretty  trick,  but  it  shall  not  save 
your  horse.  Our  captain  shall  have  her  in 
spite  of  you." 

Very  well,"  said  the  little  girl  with  a  smile, 
''but  you  will  have  to  find  her  yourself" 

The  soldiers  looked  through  the  barn  and 
the  woodshed,  and  some  of  them  even  went 
out  to  the  pasture.  But  no  horse  could  be 
found.  Then  they  came  into  the  house  and 
looked  into  the  kitchen,  the  dining-room  .and 
the  parlor ;  but  they  never  thought  of  looking 
into  the  little  back  bedroom. 

They  were  a  very  angry  lot  of  men,  you 
may  be  sure.  They  stormed  and  they  scolded. 
They  talked  roughly  to  Tempie,  and  tried  to 

274 


make  her  tell  what  she  had  done  with  her 
horse.  But  Tempie  only  smiled  and  said : 
^'You  will  have  to  find  her  vom^self." 

At  last  the  soldiers  went  away.  A  little 
girl  had  been  too  clever  for  them. 

For  three  or  four  weeks  Tempie  kept  Flora 
in  the  little  back  bedroom,  feeding  and  caring 
for  her.  Then  the  British  soldiers  marched 
away  to  Xew  York,  and  Tempie  never  saw 
them  again. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  Tempie  untied 
Flora  from  the  bed-post,  and  led  her  out 
through  the  house  into  the  back  yard.  AYe'll 
have  lots  of  nice  rides  yet,"  she  saidj  as  she 
gave  Flora  a  big  lump  of  sugar. 

Flora  pricked  up  her  ears,  and  looked  very 
happy  as  she  crunched  the  sugar.  If  she 
could  have  spoken  I'm  sure  she  would  have 
said :  "  Thank  you,  dear  Tempie,  you  are  a 
very  brave  and  very  wise  little  mistress.'^ 

275 


DANDELION 
I  saw  him  peeping  from  my  lawn, 

A  tiny  spot  of  yellow^ 
His  face  was  one  substantial  smile — 

The  jolly  little  fellow. 

I  think  he  wore  a  doublet  green, 
His  golden  skirt  tucked  under; 

He  carried,  too,  a  sword  so  sharp 
That  I  could  only  wonder. 

''Are  you  a  soldier^  little  man, 
You,  with  your  face  so  sunny  ? 

The  fellow  answered  not  a  word ; 
I  thought  it  very  funny. 


I  left  him  there  to  guard  my  lawn 
From  robins  bent  on  plunder, 

The  soldier  lad  with  doublet  green^ 
His  yellow  skirt  tucked  under. 

The  days  passed  on — one  afternoon 

As  I  was  out  a-walking, 
Whom  should  I  meet  upon  the  lawn 

But  soldier  lad  a-stalking. 

His  head,  alas !  was  white  as  snow, 

And  it  was  all  a-tremble ; 
Ah!  scarce  did  this  old  veteran 

My  bonny  lad  resemble. 

I  bent  to  speak  with  pitying  word — 

Alas  !  for  good  intention  ; 
His  snowy  locks  blew  quite  away — 

The  rest  we  will  not  mention. 

KA.Tr  Louise  Bro\w. 


277 


KING  GRISLY-BEARD 

There  was  once  a  king  who  had  a  daughter 
that  was  very  beautiful^  but  also  very  haughty 
and  conceited.  She  thought  that  none  of  the 
princes  who  came  to  ask  her  hand  in  mar- 
riage was  good  enough  for  her^  and  only 
made  fun  of  them. 

One  day  the  king  held  a  great  feast,  and  in- 
vited all  her  suitors.  They  sat  in  a  row  accord- 
ing to  their  rank,  and  the  haughty  princess 
had  something  spiteful  to  say  to  every  one. 

The  first  was  very  fat.    When  the  princess 

278 


looked  at  him  she  laughed  rudely,  and  cried 
out  so  loudly  that  everybody  could  hear  :  Why, 
he  is  as  round  as  a  tub !  " 

The  next  was  very  tall.  "  Oh !  "  cried  the 
princess,    what  a  maypole  he  is !  " 

The  next  was  very  short.  What !  Marry 
a  dumpling  like  that  ?  "  she  cried. 

So  she  went  on,  cracking  jokes  upon  every 
one,  but  she  laughed  most  of  all  at  a  good 
king  who  was  there. 

Look  at  him !  "  she  said.  His  beard  is 
like  an  old  mop.  He  ought  to  be  called 
Grisly-Beard." 

Now,  the  old  king,  her  father,  was  very 
angry  at  his  daughter's  behavior,  and  he  de- 
clared that,  willing  or  unwilling,  she  should 
marry  the  first  beggar  that  came  to  the  door. 

At  this  the  princess  laughed  and  tossed 
her  head.  She  did  not  believe  that  her  father 
really  meant  what  he  said. 

Two  days  later  a  minstrel  came  beneath 

279 


the  palace  windows,  and  began  to  play  and 
sing.    The  king  was  delighted  with  his  song. 

"  Ha,  ha ! he  cried.  This  is  the  very  man 
I  am  looking  for.'' 

So  when  the  minstrel  had  finished,  the 
''king  sent  for  him,  and  said : 

''You  have  sung  so  well  that  I  will  give 
you  my  daughter  for  a  wife." 

Now  the  princess  w^as  terribly  frightened, 
and  begged  and  prayed  her  father  not  to  do 
such  a  dreadful  thing.  But  her  father  said : 
''  I  have  declared  that  I  would  give  you  to 
the  first  beggar  that  came  to  the  door,  and  I 
mean  to  keep  my  word." 

So,  in  spite  of  her  tears  and  prayers,  the 
princess  was  married  to  the  minstrel. 

The  beggar  took  his  wife  away,  and  made 
her  walk  beside  him  on  foot.  Soon  they  came 
to  a  great  wood. 

"  To  whom  does  this  beautiful  wood  belong  ?" 
asked  the  princess. 

280 


"  It  belongs  to  King  Grisly-Beard/'  answered 
the  beggar.  "  If  you  had  married  him  it  would 
have  been  yours." 

"  Ah^  unlucky  woman  that  I  am !  "  she  sighed. 
"  I  wish  that  I  had  married  King  Grisly-Beard  ! 

Next  they  came  to  some  fine  meadows. 

"  Whose  beautiful  meadows  are   these  ? 
asked  the  princess. 

"They  belong  to  King  Grisly-Beard/'  said 
her  husband.  "If  you  had  married  him  they 
would  have  been  yours." 

"  Ah,  unlucky  woman  that  I  am ! "  she 
cried.  "  I  wish  that  I  had  married  King  Grisly- 
Beard  ! " 

Then  they  came  to  a  great  city. 
"  Whose  noble  city  is  this  ? asked  the 
princess. 

"It  belongs  to  King  Grisly-Beard/'  answered 
the  beggar.  "  If  you  had  married  him  it  would 
have  been  yours.'' 

"  Ah,  miserable  woman  that  I  am !  "  moaned 

282 


the  princess.  ''Why  did  I  not  marry  good 
King  Grisly-Beard  ?  " 

''That  is  no  business  of  mine/'  said  the 
beggar.  "Why  do  you  keep  wishing  for  an- 
other husband?  Am  I  not  good  enough  for 
you  ?  " 

At  last  they  came  to  a  tumble-down  cot- 
tage. 

"To  whom  does  that  poor  hovel  belong?'' 
asked  the  princess. 

"That  is  our  house,  where  we  are  to  live/' 
replied  her  husband. 

''  But  where  are  the  servants  ? ''  cried  his 
wife. 

"  Servants !  We  have  no  servants,"  ex- 
claimed the  beggar.  "You  must  do  for  your- 
self whatever  is  to  be  done.  Now  make  the 
fire  and  cook  my  supper,  for  I  am  tired  and 
hungry.'' 

But  the  princess  knew  nothing  of  making 
fires  and  cooking  suppers,  and  the  beggar  had 

283 


to  show  her  how.  When  they  had  finished  a 
scanty  meal  they  went  to  bed.  But  very  early 
the  next  morning  the  minstrel  aroused  his 
wife  to  get  up  and  clean  the  house. 

For  a  few  days  they  lived  in  this  way. 
Then,  when  they  had  eaten  up  all  the  food 
there  was  in  the  cottage,  the  man  said : 

''Wife,  we  can't  go  on  like  this,  spending 
money  and  earning  nothing.  You  must  learn 
to  weave  baskets.'' 

284 


And  he  went  out  and  cut  some  willows. 
These  he  brought  home  and  set  the  princess 
to  weaving  them.  But  the  work  made  her 
fingers  very  sore. 

"  I  see  this  won't  do,"  he  said.  We  must 
try  spinning ;  perhaps  you  will  do  that  better." 

So  the  princess  sat  down  and  tried  to  spin ; 
but  the  threads  cut  her  tender  fingers  until 
the  blood  ran. 

You  are  good  for  nothing !  "  exclaimed  her 
husband  crossly.  I  made  a  bad  bargain  when 
I  married  you.  The  only  thing  left  is  to  try 
to  set  up  a  business  in  pots  and  pans.  You 
shall  sit  in  the  market  and  sell  them." 

Oh ! "    cried    the   princess,      if  anybody 
from  my  father's  court  passes  by,  and  sees  me 
standing  in  the  market-place  selling  pots  and 
'pans,  I  shall  die  of  shame." 

But  the  beggar  did  not  care  for  that.  He. 
said  that  unless  she  did  some  work  she  would 
die  of  hunger.    So  the  princess  was  obliged 

285 


to  stand  in  the  market-place  selling  pots  and 
pans. 

At  first  all  went  well^  for  the  princess  was 
so  beautiful  that  many  people  bought  her 
wares.  Some  even  paid  their  money  and  left 
the  goods  behind.  When  all  the  pots  and 
pans  were  gone,  the  husband  bought  some 
more,  and  once  again  the  princess  sat  down 
with  them  in  the  corner  of  the  market-place. 

But  scarcely  had  she  settled  herself  and 
her  goods,  when  a  drunken  soldier  came  by. 
Eiding  his  horse  right  against  her  stall,  he 
shattered  the  crockery  into  a  thousand  pieces. 

286 


The  princess  began  to  cry,  and  ran  home 
to  her  husband,  weeping  bitterly.  When  he 
had  heard  her  story  he  cried  out  angrily : 
'^Simpleton  that  you  are,  to  put  a  stall  of 
earthenware  at  the  corner  of  the  market, 
where  eyerybody  passes  by!  I  see  you  are 
no  use  at  any  sort  of  work.  But  there — leaye 
off  crying.  They  want  a  kitchen-maid  at  the 
king's  palace,  and  I  haye  got  you  the  place. 
You  will  haye  plenty  to  eat  there." 

So  the  princess  became  a  kitchen-maid, 
and  did  all  the  dirty  work  for  the  cook.  In 
return  for  her  seryices,  she  was  allowed  to 
take  home  some  of  the  food  that  was  left. 
On  this  she  and  her  husband  liyed. 

Not  long  afterwards  she  heard  that  the  king 
was  to  be  married.  Then  a  great  feast  took 
place  in  the  palace.  After  her  work  was  done, 
the  poor  wife  placed  herself  near  the  door  of 
the  great  hall,  and  looked  at  all  the  pomp 
and  splendor  of  the  court.     She  thought  of 

287 


her  own  sad  fate,  and  grieved  bitterly  for  the 
pride  and  folly  which  had  brought  her  so  low. 

As  she  stood  there,  with  tears  running 
down  her  face,  the  king  himself  entered.  He 
was  clothed  in  silk  and  velvet,  with  a  gold 
chain  round  his  neck.  When  he  saw  the 
beautiful  princess  standing  by  the  door,  he 
seized  her  by  the  hand,  and  said  that  she 
should  be  his  partner  in  the  dance.  But  she 
trembled  for  fear,  for  she  saw  that  it  was 
King  Grisly-Beard  who  was  making  fun  of  her. 

However,  in  spite  of  her  struggles  to  escape, 
he  kept  fast  hold  of  her,  and  drew  her  into 
the  room.  Then  all  at  once  the  parcel  of 
food  which  she  held  under  her  arm  fell  to 
the  ground  and  burst  open,  and  all  the  scraps 
of  meat  and  food  lay  on  the  floor.  At  this 
sight  all  the  court  laughed  and  mocked  at 
her.  Then  the  poor  princess  drooped  her 
^  head,  and  wished  that  the  earth  would  open 
and  swallow  her  up. 

288 


She  wrenched  her  hand  from  King  Grisly- 
Beard,  and  rushed  towards  the  door.  But  the 
king  was  too  quick  for  her.  He  was  there 
before  her,  and  caught  her  in  his  arms,  saying : 

"Do  not  be  afraid.  I  am  the  beggar  who 
hved  with  you  in  the  hut,  and  I  am  the  drunken 
soidier  who  overset  your  stall  in  the  market- 
place. I  have  only  done  all  this  because  I 
loved  you,  and  because  I  wished  to  cure  you 
of  your  pride.  Now  all  your  trials  are  over, 
and  we  will  celebrate  our  marriage.^' 

Then  beautiful  dresses  were  brought  for  the 
princess,  and  her  father  and  all  his  court  came 
in  and  wished  her  happiness.  The  wedding 
feast  was  the  grandest  that  ever  took  place, 
and  the  princess  began  her  happy  reign  over 
the  country  of  King  Grisly-Beard. 


289 


A  PROUD  KING 

Robert  of  Sicily  was  a  proud  and  powerful 
king.  It  was  not  strange,  perhaps,  that  he 
should  be  proud ;  for  one  of  his  brothers  was 
emperor  of  AUemaine,  and  another  was  pope 
at  Rome.  Still,  it  was  not  right  for  him  to  look 
down  with  scorn  upon  others,  and  to  think 
himself  the  wisest  and  greatest  king  in  the 
whole  world. 

Now  it  happened  that  on  the  eve  of  Saint 
John's  day  King  Robert  went  to  church  with 
his  knights  and  attendants.  One  of  the  hymns 
that  was  sung  contained  the  words :  God 
hath  cast  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats, 
and  exalted  them  of  low  degree."  As  the 
words  of  the  hymn  were  in  Latin,  the  king 
did  not  understand  them,  so  he  asked  what 
they  meant.    When  he  was  told,  he  sneered 

290 


and  said :  "  What  silly  things  the  priests  say ! 
It  is  well  that  they  speak  in  Latin.  I  rule 
by  my  own  greatness,  and  no  power  in  heaven 
or  earth  could  push  me  from  my  throne." 

The  service  was  long,  and  after  a  while  the 
king  fell  asleep.  When  he  awoke,  the  church 
was  dark,  and  everyone  was  gone. 

The  king  was  very  angry  at  the  thought 
that  everybody  had  gone  away  and  left  him 
there  alone.  He  rushed  to  the  door,  and  be- 
gan to  pound  upon  it  and  to  call. 

After  a  time,  the  sexton  came  to  see  what 
was  the  matter. 

"  Let  me  out !  "  cried  Robert.     "  I  am  the 

291 


king !  "  The  sexton  did  not  believe  the  king, 
but  he  let  him  out  of  the  church. 

Eobert  rushed  away  to  his  palace^  and  at 
last  came  into  the  banquet-hall,  without  cloak 
and  hat,  and  all  out  of  breath.  There,  to  his 
surprise,  he  saw  some  one  sitting  on  the 
throne  who  looked  just  like  himself.  It  was 
really  an  angel,  but  everyone  thought  it  was 
the  king. 

Who  art  thou  ?  "  asked  the  angel. 

"I  am  the  king,''  cried  Eobert. 

At  this  all  the  knights  and  attendants  were 
very  much  surprised  and  very  angry.  Some 
of  them  rushed  upon  Robert  to  throw  him 
from  the  room. 

But  the  angel  stopped  them  and  said:  ''No, 
you  are  not  the  king,  but  the  king's  jester. 
From  now  on  you  shall  wear  a  cap  and  bells,  and 
have  an  ape  for  a  companion  day  and  night." 

Poor  Robert!  He  knew  that  he  was  really 
the  king,  but  he  could  not  make  anyone  believe 

292 


it.  The  court  attendants  only  laughed  at  him, 
and  pushed  him  out  of  the  palace. 

Next  morning  he  awoke  with  a  start.  Per- 
haps  he''  had  only  been  dreaming.  But  no ! 
He  found  himself  in  a  stable,  lying  on  a  bed 
of  straw,  and  by  his  side  sat  a  monkey. 

He  who  had  been  the  king  had  now,  because 

293 


of  his  pride^  become  the  king's  fool.  He  wore 
poor  clothes,  ate  the  coarsest  food,  and  was 
roughly  treated  by  everyone. 

But,  though  his  body  was  ill-treated,  his 
spirit  remained  firm.  Whenever  he  met  the 
angel,  who  was  now  called  the  king,  the  angel 
would  ask,  Art  thou  the  king  ? and  Eobert 
would  hold  up  his  head  and  answer  proudly, 
''I  am  the  king.'' 

Three  years  went  by,  and  all  the  great  princes 
and  high  officers  of  the  church  went  to  Eome 
for  the  great  Easter  festival.  The  angel  went 
as  the  king,  and  Robert  followed  as  the  king's 
jester. 

Now,  Eobert  thought  that  the  pope  would 
surely  know  him.  So  when  the  king  and  the 
court  from  Sicily  were  received  by  the  pope, 
Robert  ran  forward,  crying,  "I  am  the  king! 
I  am  your  brother.  King  Robert.  Don't  you 
know  me  ?  " 

Poor  Robert!    Even  the  pope,  his  brother, 

294 


did  not  know  him,  and  only  thought  him  crazy. 
Some  one  threw  him  back  into  the  crowd, 
and  Robert  went  away  broken-hearted. 

During  the  Easter  festival,  Robert  thought 
a  great  deal  about  his  past  life.  He  soon  be- 
gan to  see  that  he  had  been  very  proud  and 
selfish,  and  he  began  to  feel  sorry  that  he  had 
not  been  more  kind  to  others.  So  little  by 
little  his  pride  all  melted  away. 

When  the  angel  and  his  companions  went 
back  to  Sicily,  Robert  was  a  changed  man, 
and  when  the  angel  again  asked,  "Art  thou 
the  king  ?  "  Robert  answered  :  "  Thou  knowest 
best.  My  sins  are  many.  Let  me  pray  that 
they  may  be  forgiven. 

The  angel  smiled.  Through  the  windows 
they  could  hear  the  monks  singing :  "  He  hath 
cast  down  the  mighty  from  their  seats,  and 
exalted  them  of  low  degree."  Then  Robert 
heard  another  song,  the  far-off  voice  of  the 
angel  singing: 

295 


I  am  an  angel 
Thou  art  the  king.'' 

When  the  song  was  finished,  Robert  looked 
up,  and  behold!  he  was  alone.  His  cap  and 
bells  were  gone.  The  ape  had  disappeared, 
and  he  himself  was  dressed  in  the  kingly  robes. 
But  King  Robert  of  Sicily  was  a  changed  man. 
He  was  proud  no  longer.  When  his  knights 
came,  they  found  him  kneeling  on  the  floor 
in  prayer. 


296 


HIAWATHA'S  CHILDHOOD 

There  the  Avrinkled  old  Xokomis 
Xursed  the  httle  Hiawatha, 
Eocked  hmi  in  his  hiiden  cradle, 
Bedded  soft  in  moss  and  rushes, 
Safely  bound  with  reindeer  sinews ; 
Stilled  his  fretful  wail  bv  saA^no:, 

Hush  I  the  Xaked  Bear  will  hear  thee ! 
Lulled  him  into  slumber.  sino:ina\ 
"  Ewa-vea  I  my  little  owlet ! 
Who  is  this,  that  lights  the  wigwam? 
With  his  great  eyes  lights  the  wigwam? 
Ewa-yea  !  my  little  owlet !  " 

297 


At  the  door  on  summer  evenings 
Sat  the  httle  Hiawatha ; 
Heard  the  whispering  of  the  pine-trees^ 
Heard  the  lapping  of  the  waters. 
Sounds  of  music^  words  of  wonder; 
Minne-wawa !  "  said  the  pine-trees, 
Mudway-aushka !  "  said  the  water. 
Saw  the  fire-fly,  Wah-wah-taysee, 
Fhtting  through  the  dusk  of  evening, 
With  the  twinkle  of  its  candle 
Lighting  up  the  brakes  and  bushes, 
And  he  sang  the  song  of  children, 
Sang  the  song  Nokomis  taught  him : 
"  Wah-wah-taysee,  little  flre-fly. 
Little,  flitting,  white-flre  insect, 
Little,  dancing,  white-fire  creature, 
Light  me  with  your  little  candle. 
Ere  upon  my  bed  I  lay  me, 
Ere  in  sleep  I  close  my  eyelids ! 

Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow^ 


298 


WHY  THE  CHIPMUNK'S  BACK  IS  STRIPED 

What  I  shall  tell  you  now  happened  when 
the  world  was  young.  It  was  a  fine  summer 
day,  and  Old-man  was  travelling  in  the  forest. 
He  was  going  north  and  straight  as  an  arrow, 
looking  at  nothing,  hearing  nothing.  Xo  one 
knows  what  he  was  after,  to  this  day. 

Towards  sunset  he  heard  a  noise  as  of  men 
fighting,  and  he  stopped  to  look  and  listen. 
Finally  he  saw  the  bushes  bend  and  sway  near 
a  creek  that  flowed  through  the  forest.  He 
crawled  towards  the  spot.  and.  peering  through 
the  brush,  saw  a  great  Person  near  a  pile  of 
dead  men,  with  his  back  against  a  pine-tree. 
The  Person  was  full  of  arrows,  and  he  was 
pulling  them  from  his  ugly  body.  His  head 
was  large  and  fierce-looking,  and  his  eyes 
were  small  and  wicked.  His  great  body  was 
larger  than  that  of  a  buffalo  bull,  and  covered 
with  scars  of  many  battles. 

299 


Old-man  went  to  the  creek,  and  with  his 
buffalo-horn  cup  brought  some  water  to  the 
Person,  asking  as  he  came  near : 

Who  are  you,  Person  ?  Tell  me,  so  I  can 
make  you  a  fine  present ;  for  you  are  great 
in  war." 

"I  am  Bad  Sickness,"  said  the  Person. 
"  The  bravest  warriors  are  afraid  when  I  make 
war  upon  them.  I  come  in  the  night,  or  I 
visit  their  camps  in  daylight.  It  is  always  the 
same ;  they  are  frightened,  and  I  kill  them 
easily." 

"  Ho  !  "  said  Old-man  ;  "  tell  me  how  to  make 
Bad  Sickness,  for  I  often  go  to  war  myself." 

The  Person  shook  his  ugly  head,  and  then 
Old-man  said : 

If  you  will  tell  me  how  to  make  Bad  Sick- 
ness I  will  make  you  small  and  handsome. 
When  you  are  big,  as  you  are  now,  it  is  very 
hard  to  make  a  living ;  but  when  you  are  small, 
little  food  will  make  you  fat.    Your  living  will 

300 


be  easy'  because  I  will  make  your  food  grow 
everywhere." 

Good/'  said  the  Person,  I  will  do  it. 
You  must  kill  the  fawns  of  the  deer  and  the 
calves  of  the  elk,  and  make  a  robe  of  their 
skins.  Whenever  you  wear  that  robe  and  sing 
'Now  you  sicken,  now  you  sicken,'  the  sickness 
will  come,  and  there  is  all  there  is  to  it." 

"  Good !  "  said  Old-man  ;  "  now  lie  down  to 
sleep,  and  I  will  do  as  I  promised." 

The  Person  went  to  sleep,  and  Old-man 
breathed  upon  him  until  he  grew  very  tiny. 
Then  Old-man  took  out  his  paint  sack,  and 
striped  the  Person's  back  with  black  and  yellow. 
It  looked  very  bright  and  handsome.  Then 
he  waked  the  Person,  who  was  now  a  tiny 
animal  with  a  bushy  tail. 

Now,"  said  Old-man,  you  are  the  Chip- 
munk, and  must  always  wear  those  striped 
clothes.  AH  of  your  children  and  their  children 
must  wear  them,  too."  ,  ; 

301 


Then  Old-man  told  him  what  to  eat,  and 
said  he  must  gather  pine-nuts  when  the  leaves 
turned  yellow,  so  he  would  not  have  to  work 
in  the  winter  time. 

"You  are  a  cousin  to  the  pine-squirrel/' 
said  Old-man,  "  and  you  will  hunt  and  hide 
as  he  does." 

He  taught  the  Chipmunk  his  language  and 
his  signs,  showed  him  where  to  live,  and  then 
left  him,  going  on  towards  the  north  again, 

302 


He  kept  looking  for  the  cow-elk  and  the  doe- 
deer,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  killed 
enough  of  the  young  to  make  the  robe,  as  the 
Person  told  him. 

He  found  a  shady  place  near  a  creek,  and 
there  made  the  robe  that  would  make  Bad 
Sickness  whenever  he  sang  the  queer  song; 
but  the  robe  was  plain,  and  brown  in  color. 

Suddenly  he  thought  how  nice  the  back  of 
the  Chipmunk  looked  after  he  had  striped  it 
with  his  paints.  So  he  got  out  his  old  paint 
sack,  and  with  the  same  colors  made  the  robe 
look  very  much  like  the  clothes  of  the  Chip- 
munk. But  Old-man  was  lazy ;  he  wanted  to 
save  himself  work.  So  he  sent  the  South 
Wind  to  tell  all  the  doe-deer  and  the  cow-elk 
to  come  to  him. 

They  came  as  soon  as  they  received  the 
message,  and  when  they  had  all  reached  the 
place  where  Old-man  was,  he  said  to  them- 

"  Do  you  see  this  robe  ?  " 

303 


"Yes,  we  see  it,"  they  replied. 

''Well,  I  have  made  it  from  the  skins  of 
your  children,  and  then  painted  it  to  look 
like  the  Chipmunk's  back.  I  shall  need  many 
more  of  these  robes  during  my  life ;  and  every 
time  I  make  one  I  don't  want  to  have  to  spend 
my  time  painting  it.  So  from  now  on  your 
children  shall  be  born  in  spotted  clothes. 

"  On  all  of  the  fawns  there  must  be  spots  of 
white  like  this."  Here  he  pointed  to  the  spots 
on  Bad  Sickness's  robe.  "And  on  all  of  the 
elk-calves  the  spots  shall  not  be  so  white,  and 
shall  be  in  rows." 

The  cow-elk  and  the  doe-deer  were  glad  to 
know  that  their  children's  clothes  would  be 
beautiful,  and  they  went  away  to  their  little 
ones  who  were  hidden  in  the  tall  grass. 

Now  you  know  why  the  Chipmunk's  back 
is  striped,  and  why  the  fawn  and  elk-calf  wear 
their  pretty  clothes.      ^      ^  ^  /  i  . 

^        ^  Frank  B.  Linderman  (adapted). 


304 


Date  Due 

> 







i  1 





L.  B.  Cat.  No.  1137 

Cd.       42S.6  M167N  bk.3 


Natural  Hethod  Headers 


K167N  Bk^3  locS^O 


